OLYMPICS

Departmental Postal Services

David Davies: To ask the Minister for the Olympics with which providers her Office held contracts to provide postal services  (a) in 2007,  (b) in 2008,  (c) between 1 January and 1 July 2009 and  (d) after 1 July 2009.

Tessa Jowell: My Office has been part of the Cabinet Office since July 2007. I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 27 October 2009,  Official Report, column 252W.

Olympic Games 2012: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) has made of the economic effects of the London 2012 Olympics on  (a) Essex and  (b) Southend, West constituency since May 2009; what recent discussions she has had with the GOE on this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Further to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 19 May 2009 , Official Report, column 1261W, there has been no further assessment of the economic benefits of London 2012 on Essex and Southend, West.
	I am however delighted that Hadleigh Farm has been chosen to host the Olympic mountain biking competition in 2012.

Olympic Games 2012: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions the Government Olympic Executive has had with Southend Borough Council since May 2009 on its  (a) participation in and  (b) legacy from the London 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Further to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1119W, I have had no discussion with Southend borough council on participation in, and legacy resulting from, London 2012.
	I am however delighted that Hadleigh Farm has been chosen to host the Olympic mountain biking competition in 2012.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Oils

David Taylor: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much used cooking oil was produced by the Refreshment Department in each year since 2001; and what percentage was recycled in each year.

Nick Harvey: All used cooking oil produced by the House of Commons is recycled as biofuels. We do not have reliable figures to show the amounts produced since 2001.

WALES

Christmas

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on Christmas  (a) cards,  (b) parties and  (c) decorations in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: In the last 12 months my Department spent £385 on Christmas cards and £1,054 on receptions. We did not purchase any Christmas decorations.

Departmental Energy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the  (a) energy rating and  (b) energy band of each building occupied by his Department was in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: For the Wales Office's main building in London, the available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			   (a) energy performance rating  (b) energy band 
			 2008 73 C 
			 2009 67 C 
		
	
	My Department also leases serviced office space in a modern building in Cardiff. Assessments of the building's energy rating are not undertaken by the landlord.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department were employed on the management of freedom of information requests submitted to his Department in each year since 2005; and how much his Department spent on the management of such requests in each such year.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has a correspondence unit whose primary function is to co-ordinate the correspondence the Department receives. A small part of their role is also to manage Freedom of Information requests. From 2005 until 2008, the Unit consisted of three members of staff. Since 2008, the unit has been staffed by two members.
	As much of the work of the unit covers other responsibilities, the information requested on the cost of managing requests can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	An assessment of the cost of freedom of information within Government can be found in Frontier Economics 2006 report "Independent Review of the Freedom of Information Act". A copy of this report is available in the House of Commons Library.

Departmental Procurement

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether there has been any nugatory cost to his Department on procurement under tender because the tender process had been cancelled prior to the award of the contract in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: No, my Department has not undertaken any tender processes.

Departmental Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many miles  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department and its predecessor travelled by (i) car, (ii) rail and (iii) air on Government business in each year since 1997.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not have records in the detail requested going back to its inception in 1999. The records that we do have are in the following table. All other records could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Wales Office is co-located in Cardiff and London, resulting in the majority of rail journeys undertaken being between Cardiff and London.
	
		
			  Mileage 
			   Officials  Ministers 
			  Car   
			 2008-09 20,739 28,006 
			
			  Air   
			 2004-05 37,768 12,270 
			 2005-06 0 0 
			 2006-07 24,930 676 
			 2007-08 3987 1611 
			 2008-09 12,887 6,575

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1442W, on Church Commissioners: land, what criteria govern decisions by the Church Commissioners to transfer land from the rural let land portfolio to the rural strategic land portfolio.

Stuart Bell: Land with significant development potential is transferred into the strategic land portfolio.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1442W, on Church Commissioners: land, what the location is of each parcel of land transferred from the rural let land portfolio in each of the last five years.

Stuart Bell: The strategic land portfolio consists of sites throughout England in the counties of: Bedfordshire (three sites), Cambridgeshire (eight sites), Cheshire (four sites), Cumbria (one site), Devon (one site), Durham (two sites), Hampshire (one site), Herefordshire one site), Kent (five sites), Lincolnshire (three sites), Norfolk (one site), North Yorkshire (one site), Nottinghamshire one site), Tyne and Wear (seven sites), and West Sussex one site).

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1441-42W, on Church Commissioners: land, which sites are included in the Church Commissioners' strategic land portfolio.

Stuart Bell: The strategic land portfolio includes land at various stages in the planning process. Some has scope for allocation in a development plan; some is already allocated for development; some has planning permission; and some is being developed. The location of the various sites is set out in my previous answer (question no. 298427).

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 997W, on departmental land, how many files the Church Commissioners store  (a) on-site and  (b) off- site; and which firm provides the off-site ordering services to the Church Commissioners.

Stuart Bell: My estimate is that the Church Commissioners' Property Investments Department holds approximately 2,400 files at the Commissioners' Westminster office and approximately 70,000 at the Church of England Record Centre in south London. They do not use a firm to transport files between these sites as this is carried out by the Church's own staff.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what legal advisers the Church Commissioners retain in respect of the sale and development of land.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners are advised by their own official solicitor as well as a number of external legal firms including Lovells, Cripps Harries Hall, Bond Pearce, Ashurts and Farrers.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much the Church Commissioners spent on legal services relating to the sale of land in each of the last five years.

Stuart Bell: We do not record as a separate sub-category expenditure on legal advice relating specifically to land sales although we are currently implementing a financial computing package that will enable this kind of detailed cost analysis to be undertaken in future.
	We do publish in our annual report total external asset management costs which include the cost of various professional advisers, including legal advisers.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the policy of the Church Commissioners is on the consultation of residents close to land developments proposed by the Church Commissioners.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners take public consultation very seriously and welcome feedback, which plays an important part in achieving high quality schemes. We undertake the appropriate level of public consultation commensurate with the proposals in question and local circumstances.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much the Church Commissioners have spent on legal services in relation to the proposed development of land to the west of Chalcraft Lane in Bognor Regis.

Stuart Bell: Information regarding the cost of taking an individual site through the planning process is commercially sensitive. In reference to my earlier answer (question no. 298433), it is intended that such information will be available for the portfolio as a whole in the future.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what consultation the Church Commissioners carried out with residents of Bognor Regis prior to submitting a planning application for the proposed development of land to the west of Chalcraft Lane in Bognor Regis.

Stuart Bell: Before the planning application was submitted the Commissioners carried out two public exhibitions close to the site and in Bognor as well as two workshops at Jubilee Hall for community representatives. Thousands of local residents were personally invited to the exhibitions, which were also advertised in the press.
	The public has also been consulted on major development north of Chalcraft Lane as part of the local Council's work on its core strategy.
	The public also had the opportunity to comment on the regional spatial strategy which includes an urban extension proposal at Bognor.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what representations the Church Commissioners have received on the proposed development of land to the west of Chalcraft Lane in Bognor Regis; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners have received a number of representations from local groups and individuals in the form of letters, telephone calls and engagement at public events. In addition we have answered a number of Questions from, and had meetings with, the hon. Gentleman.
	By way of a statement, sites such as the proposed Eco Quarter at Bognor Regis are promoted through the planning system, usually in response to a district planning authority needing to find land for housing or other uses that would provide regeneration and new jobs. Therefore the Commissioners work very closely with local councils to help them provide the development needed to sustain local communities.
	By promoting strategic developments that involve housing, we try to help local authorities provide new homes as part of sustainable new communities in their area. All such proposals have to be carefully planned, providing a mix of social and open market housing, as well as comprehensive social infrastructure such as schools, shops, recreation and so on. The scheme proposed at Bognor Regis goes one step further, by putting forward a step change in urban design and sustainable living, offering the town a very high quality new community which will help Bognor grow and regenerate.
	At any one time the Commissioners have about 40 strategic sites throughout England, all at various stages in the planning process, many of them in the Government's designated growth areas. The Church Commissioners have considerable experience in the planning and development of land for affordable and private housing and other uses, and always seek to work with local councils to bring forward schemes that all parties can be proud of.

Church Commissioners: Meetings

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the agendas and  (b) the minutes of each meeting of the (i) Church Commissioners and (ii) Church Commissioners' Assets Committee in the last 12 months.

Stuart Bell: No. These papers are confidential to the Church Commissioners.

Church of England: Finance

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 996W, on Church of England: finance, for what reason whole-Church figures are not available for years after 2006; and when he expects these figures to be available.

Stuart Bell: Collating financial information for the whole Church requires data from parishes, cathedrals, dioceses and the national Church institutions. Analysing regular annual data from thousands of legally independent entities is carried out through and in liaison with Church of England dioceses who use it for their own purposes.
	This exercise consequently takes significant time but we endeavour to complete it within about 18 months of the annual parochial meetings that receive this information. I would hope that the whole-Church figures for 2007 would be available by the end of this year and the equivalent figures for 2008 by the end of next.

Church of England: Investment

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the policy on planning, development and the environment is of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group of the Church of England.

Stuart Bell: The Ethical Investment Advisory Group has not formulated a policy specifically on planning and development, but its advice that the Church's national investing bodies should have regard to sustainable environmental practice in the investments they make applies to all asset classes including land and property.

Written Answers: Government Responses

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners with reference to the answer of 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 5W, how many questions for written answer by the hon. Member representing the Church Commissioners  (a) were tabled in 2008 and  (b) have been tabled in 2009 to date; and how many such questions were (i) answered substantively and (ii) not answered on grounds of disproportionate cost.

Stuart Bell: As I said in my answer of 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 5W, the Church Commissioners' record of questions does not distinguish between those for written and oral answer. However, I believe the total number of questions tabled in 2008 and in 2009 to date to be as follows:
	2008-54 questions
	2009 (to date)-98 questions
	As far as I am aware, during this period I have only been unable to answer one question on grounds of disproportionate cost. This was the question from the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 40W. All other questions during this period have received substantive answers.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland Policing Board

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much the  (a) Northern Ireland Policing Board and  (b) district policing partnerships cost to run in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people attended public meetings of  (a) the Northern Ireland Policing Board and  (b) district policing partnerships in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: These are operational matters for the Northern Ireland Policing Board, which is independent of Government. The hon. Member may wish to write to the Chief Executive of the Policing Board.

Offensive Weapons

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his latest estimate is of the level of knife crime in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Provisional police statistics report 226 relevant violent or sexual offences involving knives or sharp instruments in the first quarter of 2009-10 and the same in the second quarter.
	The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is working closely with the criminal justice agencies in an effort to reduce the carrying of knives. This includes a series of schools events across Northern Ireland in mid-November, highlighting through drama the message that "knives ruin lives".

Parades Commission for Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff there are in the office of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; what information his Department holds on the religious background of its staff; and how much the office spent on  (a) administration and  (b) current public relations in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The Parades Commission is supported by a Secretariat made up of 11 staff comprising Northern Ireland Office (NIO) home civil servants and seconded Northern Ireland civil servants. In order to comply with their obligations under the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, the NIO holds details of the community background of the HCS staff while the Northern Ireland civil service holds similar details of the NICS staff.
	The cost of the Secretariat was £364,664 and the Commission spent £61,404.14 on public relations and media in 2007-08.

Police

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the content was of  (a) correspondence sent by and  (b) other communications made by him to the First and Deputy First Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive since 1 October 2009 on issues related to policing and justice in Northern Ireland; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such communication.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 9 November 2009,  Official Report, column 12W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Big Lottery Fund: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many page hits the Big Lottery Fund website has recorded in each year since its creation.

Si�n Simon: The information provided in the table has been supplied by the Big Lottery Fund. It provides figures for the number of hits recorded for the Big Lottery Fund website in each financial year since the inception of the Big Lottery Fund on 1 June 2004.
	
		
			  Financial year  Hits 
			 June 2004-March 2005 679,886 
			 April 2005-March 2006 2,130,308 
			 April 2006-March 2007 2,709,095 
			 April 2007-March 2008 4,889,147 
			 April 2008-March 2009 4,615,184

Cultural Heritage: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many page hits have been recorded by the  (a) English Heritage,  (b) Heritage Lottery Fund and  (c) National Heritage Memorial Fund website in each year since their creation.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 9 November 2009
	English Heritage advises that the figures in respect of  (a) are as follows:
	
		
			  Months/years  Page views 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 7,691,606 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 18,405,658 
			 April 2003 to March 2004- 22,958,083 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 35,575,282 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 29,771,290 
			 July 2006 to March 2007(1) 12,167,643 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 18,887,744 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 21,331,385 
			 April 2009 to October 2009(1) 16,260,538 
			 (1) These are figures for incomplete years 
		
	
	The Heritage Lottery Fun advises that the figures in respect of  (b) and  (c) are as follows:
	
		
			  Months/years  Page views 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 (1)1,545,184 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 (2)1,707,313 
			 April 2009 to date (3)978,673 
			 (1) Heritage Lottery Fund only (2,3) Heritage Lottery Fund and National Heritage Memorial Fund combined

Departmental Air Travel

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many domestic flights within Great Britain officials from the Department made in 2008-09; and at what cost such flights were taken.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 9 November 2009
	During 2008-09 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport made a total of 65 domestic flight bookings at a cost of £12,077.00.

Departmental Data Protection

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department's information assurance procedures have been subject to an independent audit.

Si�n Simon: My Department carries out an independent external audit of its information assurance procedures at least annually.

Departmental Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many page hits have been recorded by his Department's website in each year since its creation.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 9 November 2009
	We can provide statistics since 2003. The figures for total page hits 2003-2009 are as follows:
	
		
			   Figures 
			 2003 7,949,240 
			 2004 12,666,481 
			 2005 (1)15,900,698 
			 2006 16,289,445 
			 2007 26,825,559 
			 2008 19,879,767 
			 2009 (2)14,303,468 
			 (1)( )Incomplete, no figures for February. (2) January-August

Departmental Postal Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with which providers  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency had a contract to provide postal services in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) between 1 January 2009 and 1 July 2009 and (iv) since 1 July 2009.

Si�n Simon: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) Since 2007 The Department has had a contract with Pitney Bowes Management Services for the provision of postal services.
	 (b) The Royal Parks do not have a contract for the provision of postal services.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1033W, on departmental rail travel, how many  (a) journeys were paid for and  (b) people travelled in each year; whether any nugatory expenditure was incurred in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The following information details the  (a) number of journeys paid for and  (b) number of people that travelled:
	2008-09:  (a) 470;  (b) 227
	2007-08:  (a) 319;  (b) 181
	2006-07:  (a) 744;  (b) 303
	The Department does not hold any information about official's nugatory expenditure connected with travel.

Digital Switchover Help Scheme

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to provide money from the Digital Switchover Helpscheme Fund to pay for other services; and how much he expects to provide initially.

Si�n Simon: The Digital Switchover Help Scheme has mailed more than 2.1 million eligible persons and completed over 180,000 installations and deliveries. It does look highly likely that there will be an under spend in the help scheme, though the switchover process has only just begun in earnest and the final outturn will depend on take up rates which could differ around the country and over time.
	The Government are discussing arrangements for the redeployment of under spend with the BBC Trust.

Local Press

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects the pilots of the proposed independently funded news consortia to start; which English region will host a pilot scheme; what plans he has to fund such pilot schemes; and what plans he has to make provisions in relation to the existing regional news employees in the pilot area.

Si�n Simon: The Government expect the independently funded news consortia pilots to commence in 2010; the English region will be determined by Christmas 2009; the Government will be announcing its funding conclusions shortly; and matters of employment have been discussed with the Channel 3 public service broadcasters and are being looked at further as part of the tender process.

Sportsgrounds

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with  (a) the Football Association and  (b) Premier Rugby on primacy of tenure at shared stadia.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have had no recent discussions with either the Football Association or Premier Rugby about the primacy of tenure at shared stadia. This is a matter for the national governing bodies and individual clubs to discuss and agree.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Political Parties: Finance

Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission plans to publish its guidance on the new provisions on non-resident donors in the Political Parties and Elections Bills.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it will develop guidance on the new provisions when the commencement date of the provisions is confirmed and the contents of any secondary legislation relating to the provisions are known.
	I also refer the hon. Member to comments made by the Minister of State for Justice, the right hon. Member for North Swindon (Mr. Wills), on 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 687, during consideration of Lords Amendments to the Bill that
	given their complexity, we are practically unable to commence provision before the summer of 2010.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average cost of processing a Single Farm Payment scheme claim was in each of the last four years for which figures are available; how many such claims were made in each such year; what the  (a) mean,  (b) median,  (c) minimum and  (d) maximum claim was in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 3 November 2009
	The estimated average administrative cost of processing an individual Single Payment Scheme claim for each of the following years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 713 
			 2007-08 758 
			 2008-09 751 
		
	
	These costs are the direct processing costs and exclude compliance activity and the investment in new systems and improvement projects.
	The NAO Value for Money Report quoted the following figures for the processing cost per claimant calculated on the basis of including IT depreciation, amortisation, contractors, staff costs, accommodation, foreign exchange, communication and other non-IT running costs.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 1,432 
			 2006-07 1,486 
			 2007-08 1,696 
			 2008-09 1,743 
		
	
	The following table gives the number of SPS claims, as recorded in the NAO Value for Money Report, made in England for scheme years 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
	
		
			  Single payment scheme year  Number of claims 
			 2005 116,474 
			 2006 109,100 
			 2007 106,700 
			 2008 106,500 
		
	
	In an answer given to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) on 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 89W, the  (a) mean,  (b) median,  (c) minimum and  (d) maximum claim value for the SPS 2007 was reported as:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Lowest 0.01 
			 Highest 2,191,054.026 
			 Median 4,593.99 
			 Mean 13,920.94 
		
	
	The lowest value is a result of a non-compliance penalty.
	The information in respect of the  (a) mean,  (b) median,  (c) minimum and  (d) maximum claim value in the other scheme years is not readily accessible and I will write with the information, along with an update on SPS 2007 when it is available, with a copy being placed in the House Library.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of single farm payments which have been  (a) withheld and  (b) cancelled by the Rural Payments Agency in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is not readily accessible and I will write with the information when it is available, with a copy being placed in the House Library.

Bees

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether  (a) bacillus thuringiensis and  (b) agro bacterium have been identified in cases of bee colony collapse.

Dan Norris: The Food and Environment Research Agency's National Bee Unit has been investigating the causes of colony losses in England and Wales over the past two years. The results have shown that the most important risk factor in the mortality or weakening of colonies is deformed wing virus, a virus transmitted by the parasitic varroa mite, clearly indicating failed or unsuccessful treatments of mite infestations. Samples were not screened for bacillus thuringiensis or agro bacterium as these have not been identified as possible risk factors. A final report with the results from the investigations into abnormal colony losses will be published later this year.

Biochar

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential use of biochar as a means of promoting agricultural production; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 9 November 2009
	 No formal assessment has been made of the potential use of biochar as a means of promoting agricultural production. However, a short research project has been commissioned to assess the potential benefits, costs and issues surrounding the addition of biochar to soil. The research report will critically review the state of knowledge regarding biochar, identify the uncertainties and the risks associated with the addition of biochar to soil, and identify gaps in the evidence base. We expect the review will be completed by the end of December 2009.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many landowners in each designated area  (a) were requested to take part in,  (b) took part in and  (c) refused to take part in the bovine TB vaccination programme for badgers; and what financial incentives are available to land owners to encourage them to participate in the programme.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) are currently in the process of signing up landowners in the project catchment areas. Fera are inviting all registered cattle owners in the six 75,000 acre catchment areas to register their interest with the aim of identifying potential participants on up to 25,000 acres of land on which to vaccinate badgers. Therefore not all farmers within the catchment areas will be able to participate in the project.
	This is an ongoing process and Fera have not yet completed the process of writing to all cattle owners in the catchment areas. However, the response so far has been encouraging with 255 landowners responding positively.
	The following table sets out the responses we have received from the landowners we have approached so far, and is correct as of 5 November 2009:
	
		
			  Catchment area  Number of letters sent to farmers  Information and registration meeting held in area  Number of positive responses to date  Number of negative responses to date 
			 Staffordshire: Centred on Eccleshall 420 sent 16 October 2009 Meeting confirmed 89 0 
			 Herefordshire/Worcestershire: East of Tenbury Wells 248 sent 23 October 2009 Meeting confirmed 27 0 
			 Gloucestershire: Cotswold north east of Cheltenham 106 sent 28 September 2009 Yes 32 0 
			 Gloucestershire: North west of Stroud (1)259 sent 28 September 2009 Yes 106 9 
			 Devon: West of Tiverton To be sent Meeting confirmed 1 0 
			 Devon: South east of Tiverton To be sent Meeting confirmed 0 0 
			 (1) Letters and visits to landowners.  Note: The table was provided by Fera. 
		
	
	There are no financial incentives available to farmers to encourage participation. The project is free for farmers to participate and they do not have to take any action themselves other than grant access to their land. Participating farmers will also potentially reduce the risk of transmission from badgers to their cattle.

Cattle: Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to improve the animal welfare standards of cattle; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to improve training for those involved in maintaining the welfare of cattle.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The welfare of cattle is provided for by way of the general provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007, which has specific schedules relating to cattle and calf welfare. DEFRA also has a welfare code for cattle which provides good husbandry advice, which producers have by law to be familiar with and have access to.
	Animal Health enforces on-farm welfare legislation and conducts regular programmed inspections of farmed premises to check the welfare of livestock, as well as investigating all complaints and allegations about poor welfare on-farm.
	DEFRA is currently considering the Farm Animal Welfare Council's Opinion and the European Commission's European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reports on the welfare of dairy cows which have been recently published. The findings of both will feed into the UK's negotiating line for the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Animals Kept for Farming Purposes current discussions on revising its cattle recommendation.
	DEFRA has a contract with ADAS to run an advisory programme for farmers in England to encourage good animal welfare. Each year ADAS run, on DEFRA's behalf, a series of awareness campaigns for producers to promote good standards of animal welfare and husbandry. This year's cattle campaign will focus on promoting best practice in managing the dairy cow around calving. In previous years, successful campaigns have included lameness and herd mobility scoring, avoiding losses and improving welfare in cattle rearing systems and housing the modern dairy cow.
	DEFRA's animal welfare research programme also funds research into welfare issues affecting dairy cattle. Recent projects include: alleviation of lameness in dairy heifers; development of a lameness control plan; and investigating the management and welfare of the continuously housed cows.

Cetaceans

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Leominster of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1002W, on cetaceans, what information his Department holds on the recipients of the video and photographic material collected by the Sea Mammal Research Unit;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Leominster of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1004-5W on cetaceans, for what reasons evidence of cetaceans being caught in nets collected as part of Government-funded research is not made publicly available; and what account he take of obligations under the EU Habitats Directive on decisions on whether to make available such evidence;
	(3)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Leominster of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1004-5W, on cetaceans, whether  (a) Ministers,  (b) advisers and  (c) officials in his Department have seen the photographic and video evidence of cetaceans being caught in nets collected by the Sea Mammal Research Unit;
	(4)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Leominster of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1004-5W, on cetaceans, whether photographic and video evidence of cetaceans being caught in nets collected by the Sea Mammal Research Unit as part of Government-funded research has been destroyed; and what his policy is on the  (a) retention and  (b) publication of the outcomes of research funded by his Department;
	(5)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Leominster of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1004-5W, on cetaceans, what photographic and video evidence of cetaceans being caught in nets has been collected by the Sea Mammal Research Unit as part of Government-funded research since July 2008; and if he will  (a) obtain and  (b) make publicly available the photographic and video evidence of cetaceans being caught in nets collected by the Sea Mammal Research Unit.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK is committed to reducing cetacean by-catch and has put over £2 million from 2000 to date into researching by-catch mitigation measures and monitoring by-catch in the UK fleet. The purpose of the research is to try to identify those fisheries responsible for high levels of cetacean by-catch and test mitigation measures that are effective at deterring cetaceans over the long-term and are safe and cost-effective for the industry. This research is undertaken by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU).
	My Department does not hold, nor has it been supplied with, video or photographic material as part of the cetacean by-catch mitigation research projects that it has commissioned SMRU to undertake.
	No Minister, official or adviser presently in the Department has seen footage provided by SMRU, and no data are held by the Department on any recipients of video and photographic material.
	Any video or photographic material collected is used by SMRU as a monitoring tool to corroborate findings and to verify observations of the crew and observers on board boats. SMRU does not maintain a photographic database on this issue and all video tapes are re-used once the information on them has been verified. These data are used to produce project reports (defined as project outcomes under the research projects) that are published on the DEFRA website. The outcomes of the research projects are therefore made publicly available.
	The EU Habitats Directive places no obligation on the Department to publish data or research carried out into the incidental capture and killings of cetaceans by fishing activities. However, as outlined above, our research and findings are published. In addition, annual estimates of cetacean by-catch in the UK fleet are published on the DEFRA website.
	As SMRU does not maintain a photographic database and has a policy of reusing video tapes, as in all other years, no video or photographic material collected under the research contract is in existence for the period of July 2008 to date.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings his Department has had with canine welfare organisations on the matter of dangerous dogs in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA meets regularly with canine welfare groups at both ministerial and official level to discuss a number of issues, including dangerous dogs. In the last 12 months we have specifically discussed the issue of dangerous dogs with the RSPCA on at least five occasions, the Dogs Trust at least three times and we have had two meetings that have included representatives from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Fish: Disease Control

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's latest assessment is of the effects of koi herpes virus disease on fish stocks; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The range of fish species susceptible to Koi herpes virus is very limited. Only common carp and Koi carp are listed in EU legislation as being susceptible. Therefore, the effect of Koi herpes virus on fish stocks generally is considered negligible.

Fisheries

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many UK pair trawlers currently fish for bass beyond 12 nautical miles in the Western Channel.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Current information indicates that there is only one UK pair trawler (two vessels) fishing for bass in the Western Channel at present.

Fisheries

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many foreign-registered vessels have pair trawled within the UK's 12 mile limit in each month since the ban on British pair trawlers inside the 12 mile limit was implemented; and when he next plans to discuss with the European Commission the extension of the ban to the vessels of other EU member states.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We do not hold information on pair-trawlers from other member states operating within the 12 mile limit.
	The Commission has indicated that it will review Regulation 812/2004, concerning incidental catches of cetaceans in fisheries, in summer 2010. We will take the opportunity to discuss this matter with other member states and the Commission then.

Food Supply

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to increase the proportion of food consumed in England which is domestically produced.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Research shows that consumers increasingly want to know how the food they buy has been produced and its provenance. We have helped to facilitate this choice by providing funding for a range of measures to help regional and local food producers improve their access to market. Examples include, meet the buyer events; the encouragement of food hubs, farm shops, farmers' markets and shared distribution facilities.

Food Supply

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of food consumed that is produced domestically.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The most recent provisional estimate for the amount of food which was produced in the UK and consumed in the UK is 53 per cent. for 2008. 47 per cent. of food consumed in the UK in 2008 was imported.
	This should not be confused with the measure of UK self-sufficiency in all food, which in 2008 was 60 per cent. (provisional figure), since self sufficiency shows the percentage of all UK food production, including UK exports, as a percentage of consumption. Both measures are based on the value of unprocessed food.

Marine Management Organisation

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Marine and Fisheries Agency has spent on work by  (a) external consultants and  (b) other staff from (i) his Department and (ii) other Government departments in connection with the establishment of the Marine Management Organisation on Tyneside.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Since 1 April 2008, the Marine and Fisheries Agency has spent £631,000 on staff assigned or seconded to the agency from DEFRA or other Departments and £993,000 on external consultants and temporary staff in preparatory work for the establishment of the Marine Management Organisation. These figures exclude staff costs for those involved in the relocation of the Marine and Fisheries Agency headquarters from London to Newcastle as this activity is not directly related to the establishment of the Marine Management Organisation.

Marine Management Organisation

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the transfer of the Marine and Fisheries Agency and other agencies to the Marine Management Organisation to be completed.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Subject to the Marine and Coastal Access Bill receiving Royal Assent, we are planning to launch the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in April 2010. Our intention is that existing marine functions (the bulk of which are currently discharged by the Marine and Fisheries Agency) will transfer at that point to the MMO, along with associated staff and other assets. The MMO will continue to mature and develop from launch, taking on new functions introduced by the Marine and Coastal Access Bill over the first years of its operation.

Pollution Control

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what further steps the Government plan to take to improve the regulatory framework for fine particle PM2.5 emissions in the UK;
	(2)  what steps the Government plan to take to implement the objectives under the EU air quality directive and the UK's air quality strategy of monitoring and reducing exposure to industrial fine particle PM2.5 emissions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe introduces new requirements for assessment and regulation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in ambient air. These largely mirror those in the 2007 UK National Air Quality Strategy.
	The consultation published on 9 November sets out the UK Government's approach to transposing and implementing the requirements of the directive. This is available on DEFRA's website.
	The devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be publishing similar consultations.
	The required monitoring and assessment is in place across the UK and the consultation Impact Assessment shows that, on the basis of current projections, the UK is on track to meet the new legal obligations for PM2.5, though this will be kept under review.

Reservoirs: East of England

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many megalitres of water were supplied to water companies serving the East of England from reservoirs in that region in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2002,  (c) 2007 and  (d) the most recent 12 months for which figures are available; and what the average cost of each megalitre was in each such period.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Water is supplied from a number of sources; data are not collected separately for water supplied from reservoirs or for the cost of that supply.
	Each reservoir is different and the cost of supplying a megalitre of water from each of them is not collected by Ofwat. Differences may be due to operational methods, location and requirements to pump.
	Figures for water delivered from all sources are available in the following Ofwat reports:
	1997-98: Report on leakage and water efficiency-page 36;
	2002-03: Security of supply-page 52;
	2007-08: Service and delivery report. Supplementary information-page 43;
	2008-09: Service and delivery report. Supplementary information-page 43.
	All of these reports are available on Ofwat's website at www.ofwat.gov.uk, apart from the 1997-98 report on leakage and water efficiency, a copy of which will be placed in the House Library.

Water Charges: Voluntary Organisations

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to provide to community organisations and parish councils which own community buildings the same concessionary water collection charges as church and scout organisations.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government are committed to bringing forward legislation to allow water and sewerage companies to operate concessionary schemes for community groups for surface water drainage charges. The legislation will enable DEFRA to issue guidance to companies on how to define community groups and which community groups should be considered for inclusion in concessionary schemes. This guidance will be subject to consultation.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Concessions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will re-assess the funding formula for concessionary bus fares to reflect the actual cost incurred in each local authority area.

Sadiq Khan: On 4 November 2009,  Official Report, 45-46WS, I made a written ministerial statement announcing the launch of a consultation on the distribution of concessionary travel special grant funding for local authorities in 2010-11. The consultation proposes a revised distribution of special grant funding for 2010-11 which takes into account the change in spending on concessionary travel by each authority following the introduction of the national concession.

Bus Services: Concessions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what information his Department holds on the reimbursement rates offered by each local authority for journeys made under the concessionary bus fare scheme.

Sadiq Khan: Reimbursement of bus operators for concessionary travel is a matter for local authorities. The Department for Transport does not hold comprehensive information on the reimbursement arrangements entered into between local authorities and bus operators.
	Where a bus operator believes that a local authority's reimbursement arrangements are unfair, they are able to appeal to the Secretary of State for Transport for an impartial assessment of the case. The Department for Transport holds information on the reimbursement rates offered by authorities that have been subject to such appeals.

Bus Services: EC Action

Joan Walley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what representations he has received in respect of the removal of all but international and national coach services from the proposed EU regulation on passenger rights; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport has received a number of representations in respect of the removal of all but international and national coach services from the proposed European Union Regulation on bus and coach passenger rights. The majority were received in response to the Department's consultation on the proposal carried out earlier this year.
	A report summarising the responses and setting out the Government's position has been published on the Department's website. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

Bus Services: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many violent incidents on buses were recorded in the Milton Keynes area in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport does not hold statistics on the number of violent incidents on buses.

Bus Services: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many complaints about bus services were recorded in the Milton Keynes area in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Crossrail Line: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of the Crossrail project were it to be abandoned in June 2010.

Sadiq Khan: holding answer 9 November 2009
	This Government remain fully committed to delivering the Crossrail Project. Good progress has been made since the launch of the main construction works in May 2009 and continues to accelerate at pace. Our best current estimate of the costs to the public purse of the delivery of the Crossrail project to June 2010 is as follows:
	Project delivery costs-£950 million
	Land/Property acquisition-£700 million
	Total-£1,650 million
	This estimate reflects the latest inflation forecast figures in use by Crossrail Limited. Project delivery costs include the costs of consultancy services procured by the Department for Transport to support the programme.
	It is not possible to produce precise estimates as to overall expenditure if the project were to be cancelled. The costs associated with any cancellation would be substantial but would be contingent on a number of different factors, including contractual commitments and potential income from land no longer required. Naturally, the resolution of contractual arrangements would be a matter of significant commercial sensitivity and economic uncertainty.

Cycling

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many cycling officers there are in each local authority.

Sadiq Khan: This is a matter for individual local authorities and no information is held centrally.

Cycling: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what settlements have been designated as cycling communities; and how much funding his Department has allocated to each since their designation.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport funds 18 Cycle Cities and Towns through Cycling England. The first phase of the Cycling Demonstration Towns programme, from 2005 to 2008, saw six towns across England receive European levels of funding to significantly increase their cycling levels. Aylesbury, Brighton and Hove, Darlington, Derby, Exeter and Lancaster with Morecambe collectively received over £7 million from Cycling England across three years, plus local match-funding, to deliver a range of measures designed to get more people cycling.
	In June 2008, Cycling England announced Greater Bristol as the England's first official Cycling City, together with a further 11 Cycling Towns across England. The new city and towns, together with the original six, benefit from a share of £55 million of Departmental funding (match funded by the local authority) to pioneer innovative ways to increase cycling in their areas. The table includes £3 million additional funding for 2009-10 announced on 9 November 2009.
	Local authorities will be match funding these grants bringing the total funding to over £100 million.
	
		
			  Cycle city or towns - funding (£) by financial year: 
			  City or Town  Local authority  2005-08 (1 Nov 2005 to 31 March 20 0 8)  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  Total 2008-11 
			 Aylesbury Buckinghamshire 765,000 461,632 300,000 300,000 1,603,632 
			 Blackpool Blackpool - 400,000 1,295,000 1,285,000 3,715,000 
			 Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove 1,389,500 416,477 655,000 535,000 1,876,477 
			 Cambridge Cambridgeshire - 1,208,4 94 5,285,000 5,085,000 11,578,49 4 
			 Chester Cheshire - 500,000 1,615,000 1,615,000 3,810,000 
			 Colchester Colchester - 242,397 1,075,000 1,065,000 2,382,397 
			 Darlington Darlington 1,148,710 349,999 975,000 965,000 2,289,999 
			 Derby Derby 1,300,000 501,879 500,000 500,000 1,571,879 
			 Exeter Devon 1,559,500 595,958 500,000 500,000 1,770,958 
			 Greater Bristol Bristol City and South Gloucestershire  751,040 760,500 760,500 2,470,040 
			 Lancaster with Morecambe Lancashire 1,309,200 500,000 500,000 500,000 1,700,000 
			 Leighton-Linslade Central Bedfordshire - 567,138 366,000 355,100 1,645,738 
			 Shrewsbury Shropshire - 600,000 665,000 665,000 2,065,000 
			 Southend Southend - 399,760 1,495,000 1,485,000 3,479,760 
			 Southport and Ainsdale Sefton Borough Council - 299,622 825,000 815,000 2,189,622 
			 Stoke Stoke on Trent - 880,001 2,075,000 2,065,000 5,020,001 
			 Woking Surrey - 366,417 823,000 813,000 2,126,417 
			 York York City Council - 535,029 1,620,000 1,655,000 3,810,029 
			 Total  7,471,910 9,575,8 44 21,329,50 0 20,963,60 0 55,105,44 4 
		
	
	 Links to schools
	The Department provides funding to local authorities for the Links to Schools programme through Sustrans. The purpose of the funding is to encourage children to walk and cycle to school. Links to school is a nationwide programme not directly linked to the cycle town projects.
	
		
			  Links to school funding (£) in cycle towns: 
			  Local Authority  2005-6  2006-7  2007-8 
			 Derby City 60,000 156,000 - 
			 Darlington 35,000 - - 
			 Lancaster - - 100,000 
			 Brighton 70,000 - - 
			 Exeter City Council 50,000 38,230 - 
		
	
	 Cycle Training Grants
	For 2009-10 a specific grant was set up for cycle training in cycle city and towns. Before that year, cycle towns could not bid for cycle training funding.
	
		
			  Cycle demonstration towns cycle training funding 2009-10 
			   Grant award (£)  Number of training places 
			 Aylesbury 40,000.00 1,000 
			 Blackpool 32,400.00 900 
			 Brighton and Hove 30,000.00 1,000 
			 Cambridge 22,480.00 562 
			 Chester Council 28,320.00 708 
			 Colchester 27,360.00 684 
			 Darlington 16,920.00 423 
			 Derby 80,000.00 2,000 
			 Exeter 21,440.00 536 
			 Lancaster 15,000.00 375 
			 Leighton Linslade 63,000.00 1,575 
			 Southend on Sea 31,104.00 972 
			 Southport 25,600.00 640 
			 Stoke 72,000.00 1,800 
			 York 16,320.00 480 
		
	
	 Local Transport Plan funding
	The Department also allocates integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities for general capital investment in transport. This funding is not ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities.

Departmental Air Travel

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many first-class flights were taken by each Minister in his Department in 2008-09; and what the  (a) origin,  (b) destination and  (c) cost was of each such flight.

Chris Mole: No first-class air travel was undertaken by Department for Transport Ministers in 2008-09. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code. The annual list of Ministers' overseas travel costing more than £500 for 2008-09 can be accessed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/226022/travel_2008_2009.pdf

Departmental Data Protection

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department's information assurance procedures have been subject to an independent audit.

Chris Mole: Three of the Department for Transport's Agencies-the Driving Standards Agency, the Vehicle Operator Services Agency and the Driver and the Vehicle Licensing Agency have been subject to independent assessment by CESG (the national technical authority for information assurance), of their information assurance procedures. The central Department will be subject to an independent assessment as part of its annual reporting processes to Cabinet Office in 2009-10.

Departmental Energy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the  (a) energy rating and  (b) energy band of each building occupied by his Department and its agencies was in each of the last five years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has 43 buildings that are required to report the energy rating under the Display Energy Certificate scheme introduced by the Department for Communities and Local Government in October 2008. The performance of the buildings covered under that scheme is shown in the table:
	
		
			2009  2008 
			  Property centre  Town  Band  Rating  Band  Rating 
			 DFT-British Transport Police London Not due Not due E 114 
			 DFT-British Transport Police London Not due Not due G 229 
			 DFT-British Transport Police London Not due Not due G 271 
			 DFT-British Transport Police Tadworth Not due Not due E 118 
			 DFT-DFT Central Aldershot Not due Not due C 59 
			 DFT-DFT Central Aldershot Not due Not due D 93 
			 DFT-DFT Central London Pending Pending G 191 
			 DFT-DFT Central London Pending Pending G 218 
			 DFT-DFT Central London Pending Pending n/a n/a 
			 DFT-DVLA Bexley Pending Pending G 200 
			 DFT-DVLA Borehamwood C 59 C 59 
			 DFT-DVLA Bournemouth C 65 C 70 
			 DFT-DVLA Chelmsford Pending Pending E 125 
			 DFT-DVLA Exeter Pending Pending G 200 
			 DFT-DVLA London D 77 D 88 
			 DFT-DVLA Manchester C 51 G 200 
			 DFT-DVLA Northampton Pending Pending G 200 
			 DFT-DVLA Nottingham D 79 G 200 
			 DFT-DVLA Preston E 101 D 85 
			 DFT-DVLA Swansea Pending Pending E 125 
			 DFT-DVLA Swansea Pending Pending E 125 
			 DFT-DVLA Swansea Pending Pending E 125 
			 DFT-DVLA Swansea Pending Pending G 177 
			 DFT-DVLA Swansea G 198 G 212 
			 DFT-DVLA Theale E 111 E 118 
			 DFT-DSA Cardington Pending Pending F 132 
			 DFT-DSA Newcastle upon Tyne Pending Pending G 207 
			 DFT-DSA Nottingham Pending Pending G 200 
			 DFT-GCDA London Not due Not due G 241 
			 DFT-HA Birmingham D 93 n/a n/a 
			 DFT-HA Bristol D 92 n/a n/a 
			 DFT-HA Godstone B 42 n/a n/a 
			 DFT-HA Leeds Pending Pending F 134 
			 DFT-HA Newton-Le-Willows B 41 n/a n/a 
			 DFT-HA Potters Bar D 78 n/a n/a 
			 DFT-HA Wakefield C 55 n/a n/a 
			 DFT-MCA Cardiff Pending Pending E 109 
			 DFT-MCA Southampton D 84 F 149 
			 DFT-VOSA Bristol Pending Pending F 127 
			 DFT-VOSA Bristol Pending Pending F 127 
			 DFT-VOSA Bristol Pending Pending F 127 
			 DFT-VOSA Leeds Pending Pending E 114 
			 DFT-VCA Bristol Pending Pending n/a n/a

Departmental Procurement

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether there has been any nugatory cost to his Department and its agencies on procurement under tender because the tender process had been cancelled prior to the award of the contract in the last 12 months.

Chris Mole: There have been a very small number of instances during the last 12 months where tendering exercises have been cancelled prior to the award of the contract and thereby costs have been incurred with no contract awarded. For the Department for Transport, this would normally amount to the effort expended on the procurement exercise before its cancellation. The precise number and costs involved are not recorded.
	The occasion where the Department has incurred nugatory costs was for the procurement of a fleet of new build diesel rolling stock which ceased in July, as it was superseded by the Government's announcement on rail electrification. The costs incurred for the use of external advisors was £1.6 million.
	The Department has not reimbursed any supplier during the last 12 months for costs that they have incurred as a result of tendering for any contract advertised by the Department where the award process for that contract was subsequently cancelled.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has produced a privacy impact assessment in relation to any of its databases or data held within them.

Paul Clark: In the period from December 2008 to November 2009 the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has conducted Privacy Impact Assessments on the following areas:
	Certificate of Professional Competence Release 2
	WebLogic 7Up interface project
	EU 3(rd) Directive
	DVLA Accuracy Surveys
	Continuous Insurance Enforcement 2
	C02 European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval.
	Currently in process:
	Northern Ireland Vehicle Information System
	Payment Card Data Security
	Transport for London: Change of supplier to Congestion Charge service.

Driving Tests: Motorcycles

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many Driving Standards Agency occasional-use test centres offer module two of the new two-part motorcycle test; and how many such tests have been  (a) requested and  (b) conducted at each centre since the revised arrangements came into effect in April 2009.

Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency offers Module 2 motorcycle tests at 33 occasional-use centres. The number of Module 2 motorcycle tests booked and conducted at those centres, for the period 27 April to 5 November 2009, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Test centre  Module 2 tests booked  Module 2 tests conducted 
			 Alness 0 0 
			 Ballachulish 0 0 
			 Ballater 0 0 
			 Banff 0 0 
			 Benbecula Island 0 0 
			 Berwick-on-Tweed 71 17 
			 Brodick (Isle of Arran) 0 0 
			 Buckie 0 0 
			 Campbeltown 0 0 
			 Fort William 0 0 
			 Gairloch 0 0 
			 Golspie 0 0 
			 Grantown-On-Spey 0 0 
			 Huntly 0 0 
			 Inveraray (Argyll) 0 0 
			 Inverurie (Grampian) 0 0 
			 Island of Mull (Salen) 0 0 
			 Islay Island 0 0 
			 Isle of Skye (Portree) 0 0 
			 Isle of Tiree 0 0 
			 Kingussie 0 0 
			 Kyle of Lochalsh 0 0 
			 Lairg 0 0 
			 Lerwick (Shetland) 3 3 
			 Llandrindod Wells 104 18 
			 Lochgilphead 0 0 
			 Mallaig 0 0 
			 Oban 0 0 
			 Orkney (Kirkwall) 26 10 
			 Stomoway (Lewis) 0 0 
			 Stranraer 0 0 
			 Thurso 0 0 
			 Ullapool 0 0

Fisheries: Accidents

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many fishermen have died on  (a) under 10 and  (b) over 10 metre fishing vessels in UK waters since 1997.

Paul Clark: Between 1 January 1997 to 6 November 2009 the following numbers of fatalities to fishing vessel crew in UK 12 mile territorial waters have been reported to Marine Accident Investigation Branch:
	 (a) under 10 metres registered length: 51
	 (b) 10 metres registered length or more: 69

Government Departments: Official Cars

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the Government Car and Despatch Agency of the implementation of new working time regulations.

Paul Clark: holding answer 9 November 2009
	The implementation costs to the Government Car Agency of introducing new working practices to meet its obligations under the working time regulations 1998 are estimated to be £161,000.
	The new working practices will reduce the cost to the taxpayer. Under the new system, drivers work a single daily shift of 10 hours. Ministers continue to have one dedicated driver (apart from those in the high security category), but any ministerial driving outside of standard hours is met, on demand, by the Government Car and Despatch Agency's low carbon taxi service. This is a better deal for tax payers than the previous arrangements.

M42: Cameras

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many fixed cameras are in use on the M42 motorway; for what purposes such cameras are used; and for what reason this number of cameras is deemed necessary.

Chris Mole: holding answer 9 November 2009
	There are 303 permanent cameras installed on the M42. These are broken down as follows:
	47 'pan and tilt' cameras-these are used by the Highways Agency's Regional Control Centre (RCC) for general monitoring of the traffic flows and incidents on the motorway;
	192 fixed cameras installed on gantries throughout the 'Managed Motorway' section between Junctions 3a and 7. These are used by the RCC for safety purposes to monitor traffic flows within the Managed Motorway section, which includes hard shoulder running and use of the Emergency Refuge Areas; and
	64 fixed safety cameras used by the police to monitor compliance with speed limits within the Managed Motorway section.
	The section of M42 between Junctions 3a and 7 was used as a pilot for the Managed Motorways programme and the number of cameras installed reflects the need to carefully monitor performance for the collation of data to inform future similar schemes.

Marine Accident Investigation Branch

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many incidents the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has investigated since 1997.

Paul Clark: From 1 January 1997 to 6 November 2009 the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has completed 419 full investigations and a further 259 preliminary examinations.

Official Cars

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2008,  Official Report, column 212W, which  (a) Ministers and  (b) senior civil servants are allocated use of a car with a driver at public expense, according to records held by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Paul Clark: The Ministerial Code sets out who is entitled to use an official car provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Palm Oil

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department was represented at the most recent Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport is not a member of the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The RSPO annual meeting (2 to 4 November) was attended by a Government official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) posted to the south east Asia region. FCO officials work closely with counterparts in the UK to represent wider government interests and to keep policy makers informed of relevant developments abroad. The UK Government are also working with other countries through the Global Bioenergy Partnership and bilaterally to develop global voluntary sustainability criteria and indicators for all biofuels.

Palm Oil

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he last discussed the use of sustainable palm oil with  (a) Ministerial colleagues,  (b) representatives of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil,  (c) representatives of the palm oil industry,  (d) representatives of environmental non-governmental organisations and  (e) officials of other Government departments; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Sustainable biofuels were discussed at a ministerial level during the negotiations on the renewable energy directive (RED) and this engagement will continue as the UK develops proposals to implement the directive.
	Officials across Government also meet regularly to discuss all biofuels, and the Department for Transport continues to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders from industry and NGOs to discuss sustainability issues.
	The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) (a NDPB), which is the administrator of the renewable transport fuels obligations, has met with UK based suppliers of biofuel to encourage the sourcing of certified sustainable palm and have attended palm oil events in Kuala Lumpur this year. The RFA is preparing a short report on the use of palm oil as a biodiesel feedstock as part of their annual report to Parliament in January.

Railways: France

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make representations to the European Commission on the policy of the French government in offering an exclusive contract to operate the Paris Metro to a state-owned monopoly; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: holding answer 9 November 2009
	My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, included in his answer to the same question on 2 November 2009,  Official Report, columns 793-4W, that representations on transport policy are the responsibility of the Department for Transport. The Department makes frequent representations to the European Commission, and to our fellow EU member states, about the importance of implementing truly liberalised and competitive transport operations across all modes of transport.
	The Department pursues with the European Commission specific representations about non-compliance with EU competition law where we consider there are proper grounds for doing so. The Department has not to date made representations specifically relating to the operation of the Paris Metro.

Railways: Franchises

David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2009,  Official Report, column 1103W on railways; franchises, which franchise operator received a payment from his Department in October 2006; and how much that payment was.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not publish details on compensation payments made to individual train operating companies for net losses arising from industrial action on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many average speed cameras are in operation on  (a) Highways Agency roads and motorways and  (b) other roads.

Paul Clark: holding answer 5 November 2009
	The Department for Transport does not hold information about the number of average speed cameras on local roads. Since 1 April 2007, individual local road safety partnerships have been entirely responsible for the installation and operation of all cameras within their area.
	The Highways Agency currently has permanent average speed cameras at 10 locations on the strategic road network.
	Temporary average speed cameras are used on roadwork schemes on the strategic road network. The number utilised varies according to the complexity of the site for example the number of lanes and junctions and volume of traffic contained within it, and not all of the cameras may be operational at any one time.
	Further information on the location of both permanent and temporary average speed camera sites can be obtained from the safety camera partnerships websites which are listed within the Highways Agency website:
	http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/11512.aspx

Taxis: Disabled

Lee Scott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had on the merits of setting outline design parameters for wheelchairs to allow for their access to and secure fixing in taxis.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport has recently carried out a consultation exercise about how best to enhance the provision of taxis for people with disabilities, including wheelchair users. The consultation asked about the broad policy approach as well as technical specifications. As part of this exercise, officials engaged in discussions with a range of organisations and arranged regional roadshows.
	I announced the way forward in a written ministerial statement on 28 October 2009.

Transport

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he next intends to publish an update of his Department's guidance, New Approach to Transport Appraisal.

Sadiq Khan: The New Approach to Transport Appraisal (NATA) is kept under constant review but the definitive set of documents, for use in preparing business cases, is only updated each year in spring.
	We have recently published a set of new documents, for which we are inviting comment from interested parties, and aim to finalise by spring 2010.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Energy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) energy rating and  (b) energy band of each building occupied by his Department and its agencies was in each year for which figures are available.

Michael Foster: The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) publish central Government Departments' Display Energy Certificate (DEC) operational ratings on a building by building level twice a year. The most recent data, published on 31 July 2009, contain DEC data up to and including 28 February. Data relating to the month ending 30 September will be published on 18 December. This is available online at:
	www.ogc.gov.uk/sustainability_programme_progress

Departmental Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many miles  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department travelled by (i) car, (ii) rail and (iii) air on Government business in each year since 1997.

Douglas Alexander: The requested information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Travel by Ministers and officials is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial Code and Civil Service Code respectively.

Sri Lanka

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many visits members of his Department have made to the camps for internally-displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka since May 2009; and how many requests to visit such camps have been refused by the Sri Lankan authorities.

Michael Foster: Since May 2009, our Humanitarian Adviser, based at the High Commission in Colombo, has visited the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Vavuniya at least once a month to assess the humanitarian situation and monitor the progress of Department for International Development (DFID) funded projects. In September she also visited the IDP camps in Jaffna. Officials from London have accompanied her on various occasions.
	No requests to visit the camps have been refused by the Sri Lankan authorities.

Syria: Overseas Aid

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has provided to Syria  (a) directly and  (b) through multi-lateral agencies for assistance to Palestinian refugees in each year since 2002.

Michael Foster: Department for International Development (DFID) support to Palestinian refugees in Syria is through the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) who assist more than 450,000 refugees providing them with education, health care, social support and microfinance opportunities. Most of our assistance is core funding to UNRWA's budget of which approximately 8.5 per cent. is spent in Syria. An annual breakdown is in the following table. In 2007 the UK committed £100 million over five years in core funding to UNRWA.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK funding to UNRWA general fund (calendar year)  Estimated UNRWA spend in Syria (per calendar year) 
			 2002 13 1.10 
			 2003 15.5 1.31 
			 2004 8.5 0.72 
			 2005 13 1.10 
			 2006 16.2 1.37 
			 2007 15.6 1.33 
			 2008 19 1.61 
			 2009 20 1.70 
		
	
	In addition to this funding, the Department for International Development provided a total of £2.6 million between 2001 and 2006 to help develop UNRWA's education system by strengthening management from headquarter to school level. This support helped improve the education provided to all Palestinian refugee children across the region, including in Syria.

Zimbabwe

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

Gareth Thomas: The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe remains challenging:
	Cholera is always present in Zimbabwe and, with the start of the rainy season, a rise in numbers of new cases has already been reported. However, the international community has worked to strengthen health services and provide essential repairs to water and sanitation systems. We are hopeful that the outbreak will not be on the same scale as last year.
	The food situation is better than last year following an improved harvest but there will still be a need for extensive international support. The UN estimates that 2.8 million people will require food assistance in early 2010 (compared to around seven million in early 2009).
	Farm invasions continue and the risk of displacement for remaining farm-worker families remains a concern.
	There has been an isolated outbreak of measles despite successful vaccination and we are watching the situation carefully.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £4.7 million to UNICEF to help prepare for any cholera outbreak and is in discussions with other donors about the best way to assist in the coming months. However, humanitarian support is not the long-term solution to Zimbabwe's problems. Only a resolution of outstanding political issues and progress on much needed reform will ensure that Zimbabwe can feed and provide for the needs of its people.

TREASURY

Business: Government Assistance

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects on small businesses of the downturn in the economy; what assistance he plans to give during the next six months to small businesses; what representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury actively monitor economic conditions and their impact on businesses of all sizes. The Chancellor has received a number of suggestions from small businesses for further policy action to respond to the downturn. We have also heard from representative organisations that access to finance remains a challenge for small businesses, but that conditions are improving. All suggestions for further policy action are given careful consideration in the light of the Government's overall policy objectives and public finances.
	We have introduced a range of temporary measures to respond to the changing economic conditions and needs of small businesses, and will be reviewing these going forward to ensure that they remain appropriate.

Council Tax: Valuation

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency takes account of reputational issues connected with a dwelling when valuing it for council tax valuation and revaluation purposes.

Ian Pearson: The basis of valuation for council tax is set out in the Council Tax (Situation and Valuation of Dwellings) Regulations 1992 (SI No. 550) as amended by the Council Tax (Situation and Valuation of Dwellings) (Amendment) Order 1994.
	Reputational issues would only be taken into account to the extent that they affect open market value at the relevant valuation date and existed when a property is first entered into a council tax valuation list.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1285W, on departmental rail travel, how many  (a) journeys were paid for and  (b) people travelled in each year; whether any nugatory expenditure was incurred in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This information is not normally held, because the Treasury's accounting system records the costs of travel but not the number or type of tickets bought. However, the Treasury's travel management company provided information on the number and type of tickets purchased through them covering travel by all members of the Department.
	In 2008-09, 191 members of staff took first class rail journeys. Information on the number of travellers in 2007-08 and 2006-07, the number of first class rail journeys taken by departmental staff and whether any nugatory expenditure was incurred in all three years is not available within the disproportionate costs threshold.

Economic Policy

John Hemming: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the data on which the Treasury Economic Model is based.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury Public Model was last issued in April 2008. The Treasury macroeconomic model is principally a model of the economic activity described and recorded in the National Accounts published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The model documentation identifies sources for all data on which the model is based, and the data are publicly available from the ONS. An electronic copy of the macroeconomic model documentation for the March 2008 Treasury Public Model has been deposited in the House of Commons Library.

Economic Situation

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the findings contained in the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report on the British economy; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government take account of a range of external views, including those of the OECD, when making its assessment of the UK economy and in policy formulation. The Government will set out its own updated assessment of the UK and world economies in the pre-Budget report later this autumn.

Excise Duties: Diesel

Paul Keetch: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax revenue was foregone as a result of the reduced rate of duty paid on red diesel for the agricultural industry in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Reliable information on the end use of fuel is not available, as fuel duty is paid by fuel producers and importers, rather than by end consumers.
	Information on revenue from Hydrocarbon Oils is available from HM Revenue and Customs 'Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin', which can be found on HMRC's UK Trade Info website. Red diesel is classified as 'gas oil'.
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloil

Housing Benefit: Travelling People

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the policy is of the Valuation Office Agency's Rent Service on whether Traveller pitches which do not have planning permission may be rated for local housing allowance.

Ian Pearson: The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) was introduced nationally on 7 April 2008 and is applicable to new applicants for housing benefit or for claimants moving property. However there are exemptions to the LHA and these include pitches or caravans. Therefore any application to the local authority for housing benefit will be subject to a referral to the rent officer and for the rent officer to make a determination of a reasonable rent for housing benefit subsidy purposes. The amount of any award for housing benefit will rest with the local authority.
	The rent officer's duty is to determine the reasonableness of the rent being charged for the property in the referral. It is the responsibility of the local authority to assess housing benefit for individual claimants.

Housing Revenue Account

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to add the estimated surplus on the housing revenue account (HRA) subsidy to the council house capital debt that is being considered for distribution to local authorities for repayment as part of the review of the HRA subsidy system.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	Our proposals for self-financing would put every local authority in a position to sustain their homes from their own revenues in future, ending the need to redistribute income by means of a one-off reallocation of housing debt. Our consultation paper notes that the total amount of housing debt held by councils under self-financing could be higher or lower than the current level of debt supported through the HRA subsidy system. The debt allocated to each council would be set at a level which it could support within a sustainable business plan which delivers the extra investment we have identified is needed (including an average 24 per cent. increase in funding for major repairs) while continuing to set social rents in line with national policy.
	The aggregate amount of housing debt allocated under self-financing will depend on a range of variables in addition to assumptions on annual management, maintenance and repairs. These include rent levels, interest rates, the pricing of risk and the funding of the backlog of repairs. As work on assessing these issues has not yet been completed, I am not in a position to estimate the amount of debt under the new system and ministers have not had discussions on this issue with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I am however clear that the additional spending on management, maintenance and major repairs which we have committed to fund as part of our reforms will mean that all councils are better off under self-financing than they would be if the current system continued unreformed.

Taxation

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of receipts to the Exchequer were received from those  (a) of working age and  (b) over retirement age in payment of (i) income tax and (ii) inheritance tax in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Information on age of taxpayer based on receipts is not readily available as employers' PAYE payments are made in aggregate. However, available information on tax liability for 2009-10 (a total of £141 billion) suggests that around 9 per cent. is in respect of people of state pension age by the end of the year, with the remainder for people of working age. This estimate is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes of which 2006-07 is the latest available, and projected in line with Budget 2009 assumptions.
	Age breakdowns of Inheritance Tax received from estates (£2,769 million in 2008-09) can be provided only in terms of the age at death of the deceased. The proportions arising from estates where the age at death was under and over state Pension Age are 5 per cent. and 95 per cent. respectively. No information is held on the ages of beneficiaries of estates. Inheritance Tax received from settlers and trustees of discretionary trusts (£70 million in 2008-09) can not be broken down by age.

Taxation

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much and what proportion of council tax is raised from  (a) those over retirement age and  (b) people of working age; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Central Government do not hold the necessary information on local government to inform this answer.

Taxation

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the merits of introducing new mechanisms for settling tax liabilities;
	(2)  what mechanisms HM Revenue and Customs has in place to assess the cost-effectiveness of different methods of debt collection;
	(3)  what recent progress HM Revenue and Customs has made on its risk-profiling work in relation to tax debt.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the Treasury Minute response to the twenty sixth report of the Committee of Public Accounts (HM Revenue and Customs-management of tax debt) laid before the House on 28 October 2009 and available at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm77/7717/7717.pdf
	Unfortunately the previous answer included an incorrect figure for the amount spent in 2007-08. This figure was provided to HM Treasury by its travel management company and should have been shown as £330,000. I apologise for the error.

Taxation

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the performance of private debt collection agencies in collecting tax debt.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is currently undertaking a small scale six month pilot exercise involving the use of private sector debt collection. The pilot is due to run until December 2009, and will inform decisions taken on the future use of debt collection agencies.

Taxation

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of compatibility of corporation tax regimes in the Crown Dependencies with the EU code of conduct on taxation.

Stephen Timms: The EU Code of Conduct Group has to date not referred the current Corporate Tax Regimes of the Crown Dependencies for assessment under the criteria of the EU Code of Conduct.
	Recently, the UK has had discussions with its Crown Dependencies about their long-term sustainability which take account of the emerging global consensus among G20 countries on a range of international financial issues. These discussions are continuing.

Valuation Office: Training

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what courses representatives of the Valuation Office Agency have attended at the National School of Government in the last 36 months; and at what cost to the public purse in each case.

Ian Pearson: The following table shows the courses representatives of the Valuation Office Agency have attended at the National School of Government in the last 36 months and at what cost to the public purse in each case.
	
		
			   Course  Charge (£) 
			  2006 Prince 2 For Practitioners 1,975.00 
			  Prince 2 For Practitioners 1,975.00 
			  Managing Project Risk 875.00 
			  Prince 2 For Practitioners 1,975.00 
			  Analysis and Use of Evidence for SCS 140.00 
			  Senior Professional Administration Training 850.00 
			
			  2007 Appearing Before the Select Committee 1,550.00 
			  Senior Professional Administration Training 850.00 
			  Top Management Forum (Seminar 4) 85.00 
			  Introduction to Programme Management 410.00 
			  Management of Risk 1,875.00 
			  Management of Risk 1,875.00 
			  Project Manager's Foundation 1,130.00 
			  Top Management Forum (Seminar 6) 85.00 
			  Leadership and Resilience 450.00 
			  Project Manager's Foundation (exam resit) 150.00 
			  Programme and Project Support Office 900.00 
			  Programme and Project Support Office 900.00 
			  Baseline Personnel Security 395.00 
			  Baseline Personnel Security 395.00 
			  Programme and Project Support Office (cancellation fee) 90.00 
			  Programme and Project Support Office 900.00 
			  Programme and Project Support Office 900.00 
			  Prince 2 For Practitioners 1,975.00 
			  Recording Information on COINS 130.00 
			  Recording Information on COINS 130.00 
			  Senior Professional Administration Training 1,150.00 
			  Financial Management at Grade 7 895.00 
			
			 2008 Getting To Grips With Workforce Planning 375.00 
			  Prince 2 For Practitioners 1,975.00 
			  Senior Professional Administration Training 1,150.00 
			  Measuring Organisational Performance 2,500.00 
			  Strategic Communication Planning 1,175.00 
			  Unit 3 of Chartered Management Institute Diploma 150.00 
			  Unit 7 of Chartered Management Institute Diploma 550.00 
			  Unit 5 of Chartered Management Institute Diploma 250.00 
			  Government Finance and Accounting 890.00 
			  Project Management Essentials 1,300.00 
			  Prince 2 For Practitioners 2,250.00 
			  The Challenge of Delivery 425.00 
			  Creating an Innovative Culture 490.00 
			  Staff Inspection Techniques Training 1,950.00 
			  Programme and Project Support Office 980.00 
			  Best Practice for Audit Committees 350.00 
			  Best Practice for Audit Committees 350.00 
			  Getting To Grips With Workforce Planning 395.00 
			  Strategic Communication Planning 1,200.00 
			
			  2009 Senior Finance Programme Public Expenditure 870.00 
			  Public Accountability Tailored Event 750.00 
			  Changing Culture, Strengthening Delivery 245.00 
			  Training for NDPB Board Members 16,761.90 
			  Programme and Project Support Office 980.00 
			  Introduction to Public Accountability 665.00 
			  Baseline Personnel Security 355.00 
			  Unit 12 of Chartered Management Institute Diploma 580.00 
			  Introduction to Purchasing 990.00

JUSTICE

Pleural Plaques: Compensation

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to announce his decision on compensation for those with pleural plaques.

Bridget Prentice: The House of Lords decision has raised extremely complex and difficult issues which have required very careful consideration. We are actively considering all of these in order to give a final response as soon as possible.

Legal Aid: Child Abuse Cases

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the future provision of legal aid in child abuse cases; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have no plans to make any changes to the provision of legal aid to defendants in child abuse cases. Where child care proceedings are concerned, legal aid is provided to both parents and children without regard to their means.

Solicitors: Overpayments

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he next expects to meet the Legal Services Commission to discuss its overpayments to solicitors in 2008-09.

Bridget Prentice: My right hon. Friend, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr. Straw) and my noble Friend, Lord Bach, Legal Aid Minister met Commissioners from the Legal Services Commission on 21 October and the matter concerning 'overpayments to solicitors' was part of the discussions. Ministers have and will continue to hold regular meetings with the Legal Services Commission.

Prisoner Voting Rights

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made in the second stage of his consultation on voting rights for prisoners; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The second consultation on the voting rights of convicted prisoners closed on 29 September 2009. The Government are carefully studying the responses and will set out the next steps in due course

Housing: Released Prisoner

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the provision of housing for offenders on their release from prison.

Maria Eagle: Ministers from the Ministry of Justice and Communities and Local Government regularly discuss matters relating to socially excluded adults and offenders, including housing at the Life Chances Social Exclusion Cabinet Committee and the Reducing Re-offending Inter Ministerial Group.

Female Imprisonment

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of the imprisonment of women on their children.

Maria Eagle: We recognise there is an impact: only 5 per cent. of these children remain in the family home when their mothers are imprisoned and 12 per cent. are taken into care or are adopted.
	There is an intergenerational effect. 65 per cent. of boys with a convicted parent go on to offend. The children of offenders are at much greater risk of poor outcomes in life then other groups. That is why we seek to divert less serious female offenders from what are often short prison sentences as Baroness Corston suggested in her report.

British Values Roadshow

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate has been made of the cost of planned British values roadshow and consultation events.

Michael Wills: The Government held a series of five deliberative events on Identity, Values and a possible Bill of Rights and Responsibilities during October. Two further events, both of which will cover a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities and a written constitution, will take place on 21 and 28 November. There will be a National Deliberative Event in the new year.
	It is not possible to finalise the actual costs until all of the events have taken place, however, it is anticipated that this will come to less than £1 million in total.

Human Trafficking: Proceeds of Crime

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many confiscation orders against people convicted of human trafficking offences have been made in each of the last three years; and how much money has been realised from them.

Claire Ward: The available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Total confiscation orders made  against offenders convicted of human t rafficking, since 2005 
			   Total confiscation orders  Total amount (£) 
			 2005 0 0 
			 2006 3 5,940 
			 2007 6 9,120 
			  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	Data for 2008 will be available once 'Sentencing Statistics 2008' is published in early 2010.
	The figures shown here relate solely to cases recorded on the Ministry of Justice courts proceedings database where an offence of Human trafficking was the principal offence for which the offender was sentenced and where the confiscation order was made at the point of sentence. It is possible that a confiscation order can be made in a separate court appearance following sentence. These cases are not included in this answer and it is likely the true number of confiscation orders may be higher than is presented here.
	The amount realised from these confiscation orders could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by matching individual case files with records from the court proceedings database.

Magistrates Courts: Haverfordwest

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had on the future of Haverfordwest Magistrates' Court.

Bridget Prentice: All Pembrokeshire magistrates court business has been listed at the Law Courts, Hawthorn Rise, Haverfordwest, since 2001, at which stage extensive building work was undertaken to provide suitable accommodation at the site. The county court for Pembrokeshire also sits in separate courts within that building. The Law Courts are strategically placed to undertake all the magistrates and county court business within Pembrokeshire and it is planned to continue using the building for these purposes for the foreseeable future.

Prisoner Escapes

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 90W, on prisoner escapes, what the name is of the person convicted of murder who is unlawfully at large; on what date his or her  (a) offence and  (b) conviction took place; what the length of his or her sentence was; on what date he or she absconded, and from which prison; whether he or she was on any form of work or temporary release; what his or her security classification was at the time of absconding; and whether he or she had been subject to any punishments for breach of prison discipline while in prison.

Jack Straw: The prisoner serving a sentence of murder that remains unlawfully at large was sentenced to life imprisonment on 31 October 1989 for a single offence of murder committed on 27 August 1988. He did not have a history of violent offending before this offence. He was re-categorised as category D and allocated to Ford open prison in February 2009. Prisoners located in open conditions have been risk assessed and categorised as being of low risk to the public and as such he is not considered to be dangerous. He absconded from HM Prison Ford in August 2009. He was not on temporary release licence when he absconded. He was found guilty of a total of 39 disciplinary offences during his 20 years of imprisonment, most of which were for disobeying lawful orders or for being abusive towards staff. All of these would have been subject to disciplinary punishment.
	It is obviously in general much in the public interest that the names of those escaping and absconding should be made public, but there can be operational or other reasons for not doing so in specific cases. I will write to the hon. Member with the name of the offender when the police have confirmed that there is no difficulty in placing this in the public domain.
	Over 96 per cent. of prisoners who abscond are re-captured and returned to custody. On re-capture the prisoner will be returned to a closed prison and referred to the police for consideration for prosecution for having been unlawfully at large.

Prisoners: Females

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on reducing the number of women in prison.

Maria Eagle: The Government are committed to diverting vulnerable women, who are not serious or dangerous offenders, from custody. We have provided £15.6 million of new funding over two years from 2009-11 for the provision of additional services in the community for women offenders and women at risk of offending.
	Many female offenders have an acute combination of complex issues that lie behind their offending and prison does not provide an effective way to address these problems. The Government have already allocated £3.1 million from this fund and last week allocated a further £6.8 million to third sector providers, to help develop a network of provisions across the country to tackle the cause of offending behaviour for women who are not a danger to the public, both pre and post conviction.

Prisons: Freedom of Information

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has plans to extend to private prisons the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Michael Wills: On 16 July, the Government published the response to its consultation on extending the Freedom of Information Act by means of a section 5 order. It noted that it was not minded to include private prisons in an initial order. However, the Government has made it clear it intends to keep the extension of the Act under review.

Vetting: Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance has been given to local authorities by the Information Commissioner on the classifying of individuals on List 98.

Michael Wills: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has not issued any guidance to local authorities on this matter.
	However, The Employment Practices Code produced by the ICO contains guidance for employers on a range of data protection issues including pre-employment checks.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy: Housing

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average level of energy consumption was for a domestic property in the last 12 months period for which figures are available.

David Kidney: The 2009 edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics indicates that a total of 45.642 million tonnes of oil equivalent was consumed in the domestic sector during 2009. This equates to 530,816 GWh.
	It is estimated that the number of households in the UK during 2008 was around 26.334 million.
	This results in an average energy consumption per domestic property of 20,157 kWh.

Natural Gas

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the merits of potential substitutes for natural gas supplies for  (a) domestic and  (b) industrial consumption in the UK.

David Kidney: Potential substitutes for natural gas include (i) using an alternative fossil fuel (ii) using a low carbon source of energy and (iii) using less energy (for example, through increasing energy efficiency). The Government's recent Low Carbon Transition Plan set out how Government will stimulate the uptake of low-carbon sources of energy as well as adding impetus to energy efficiency.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the use of biomass boilers installed to meet Renewable Energy Strategy targets on  (a) air quality,  (b) levels of particulate emissions and  (c) levels of (i) morbidity and (ii) mortality.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	 (a) The Government have, in support of the development of the Renewable Energy Strategy (RES), carried out modelling of the effect of an increase in the use of biomass for heat and power on the emissions, ambient air concentrations and public health impacts of fine particles (PM2.5), coarser particles (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide. The key air quality results of this analysis are given in the Renewable Energy Strategy on page 121.
	 (b) As part of the analysis the increases in the emissions of particulates were estimated over a number of different scenarios. For PM2.5 these were between 0.75 and 9.1 ktonnes from a baseline in 2007 of 82 ktonnes. For PM10, emissions were estimated as being between 1.3 and 9.5 ktonnes from a 2007 baseline of 135 ktonnes.
	 (c) (i) The impacts on morbidity resulting from the uptake of biomass as a renewable energy source were not assessed.
	(ii) The mortality health impacts of these scenarios were estimated to be between 340,000 and 1,750,000 measured as the number of life years lost in 2020 from the impact on air quality of increased biomass combustion.
	The results presented above are for the whole of the UK and are given in their raw output form. The assumptions of each scenario are set out in the Renewable Energy Strategy.

Renewable Energy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with  (a) energy companies,  (b) non-governmental organisations,  (c) local authorities and  (d) others on the setting of levels for feed-in tariffs.

David Kidney: DECC published proposed feed-in tariff levels in the Consultation on Renewable Electricity Financial Incentives 2009 document on 15 July 2009. The document is still available from the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/elec_financial/elec_financial.aspx
	The consultation closed on 15 October 2009 and we are currently analysing the responses that were received, which numbered in excess of 700. Many of these responses provided detailed information and views on the tariff levels, which we are considering.
	Through the consultation period DECC Ministers and officials held a number of meetings with external organisations and spoke at a number of conferences with a wide range of attendees from each of the groups referenced. These conferences included a DECC hosted FITs conference on 18 September, a Scottish Renewables FITs and RO event on 23 September, and a RegenSW FITs conference on 29 September. There was discussion at each of these events on the proposed tariff levels.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Armed Forces

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour interval will be for each unit deployed in the next Afghanistan roulement.

Bill Rammell: Those units that are identified as likely to deploy in the next Afghanistan roulement are not scheduled to redeploy again for at least 24 months following their end of tour. This is entirely consistent with harmony guidelines. Details of the next Afghanistan roulement will be announced in Parliament at the appropriate time.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Pakistan on Taliban activity in the border regions.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 3 November 2009
	I held recent discussions on insurgent activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan with Mr. Wardak, the Afghan Minister of Defence, at the NATO ministerial meeting in Bratislava on 29-30 October and with Mr. Mukhtar, the Pakistan Defence Minister and General Kayani, the Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan, on 6 October during my visit to Pakistan with the Home Secretary.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of  (a) sleeping bags and  (b) other kit for troops on active operations in Afghanistan.

Quentin Davies: The Defence Clothing Team (DCT) provides a range of environmental clothing, including boots, to meet both summer and winter deployments. All armed forces personnel receive a deployment pack, commonly known as the 'black bag' worth £3,000, which provides sufficient clothing and personal equipment to carry out combat operations.
	The 'black bag' includes a warm weather sleeping bag for use in the summer conditions found in Afghanistan. In addition, troops are issued a temperate sleeping bag as part of their standard kit issue. Experience has shown the temperate sleeping bag to be capable in temperatures down to around -30°C. Clothing and sleeping bags are designed to be used as layered systems in order to achieve the desired protection and will not work as effectively if not worn as a system.
	Additionally, those personnel who are in Afghanistan during the colder months receive extra equipment in their deployment pack, such as 'softee' thermal jackets and trousers, cold weather socks, gloves, headwear, windproof trousers and jackets and cold weather boots. This is the equipment used by our commando forces in Arctic terrain. When worn with the CS95 ensemble, this equipment provides suitable environmental protection for the cold weather temperatures that occur in the winters in Afghanistan.
	The DCT and senior military staff regularly visit theatre to assess equipment and continue to seek further improvements. The DCT aims to visit every six months to cover summer and winter tours. The last winter visit took place in December 2008.

Air Force: Navy

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future strength of  (a) the RAF Auxiliary Reserve,  (b) the Royal Naval Reserve,  (c) the Air Cadets and  (d) the Sea Cadets.

Bill Rammell: Plans for the Royal Auxiliary Air Force are that the manning level will increase from the current level of 1,521 to 2,000 personnel by the end of 2012.
	The strength of the Royal Naval Reserve is determined by the needs of the naval service for reserve personnel to support current and future operations. Force numbers are always under review but at this time there is no plan to change its size.
	The Royal Air Force plans to increase the numbers of Air Cadets from 40,000 to 42,000 by 2013, with an eventual target of 50,000 Air Cadets by 2018.
	The Sea Cadets are part of the Marine Society and Sea Cadets which is a registered charity. As such we have no input to their present or future strength.

Armed Forces: Equipment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual number is of (i) pieces of night vision equipment, (ii) pieces of body armour and (iii) small arms in the army.

Quentin Davies: In terms of night vision optics, the Army currently has 14,634 Common Weapon Sights, 1,777 Maxikite 1 and 4,388 Maxikite 2. Some of these will be upgraded under the Future Infantry System Technology (FIST) programme designed to further improve the equipment available to the infantry soldier. The remainder will then be redistributed to those units and individuals employed in other roles where these capabilities are either non-existent or in short supply. The FIST requirement for night vision optics is shown in the following table. Deliveries of this new equipment are due to begin in September 2010.
	
		
			  Sight  Future requirement 
			 Common Weapon Sight II 2,471 
			 Thermal Weapon Sight (VIPIR 3) 4,331 
			 Maxikite 2 Mk 2 1,705 
			 Helmet Mounted Night Vision System II 10,835 
		
	
	Our body armour and small arms holdings and requirements are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Body armour type  Current fleet size  Current endorsed requirement 
			 Enhanced Combat Body Armour 103,604 32,000 
			 Osprey 32,000 11,362 
			 Osprey Assault (1)5,000 10,000 
			 (1) The second tranche of 5,000 Osprey Assault is due to be delivered in the first quarter of next year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Weapon  Current fleet size  Requirement 
			 SA80 A2 (L85A2) (Defence Nos) 176,000 138,570 
			 LSW (L86A2) 11,000 5,000 
			 Pistol L9 Browning (Defence Nos) 24,964 25,000 
			 SA80 Carbine (L22A2) 1,546 1,600 
			 LMG 4,309 4,933 
		
	
	None of the figures above includes equipment procured for use in Afghanistan through the urgent operational requirement process. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the proceeds of the sale of Defence Estates stock has been used to upgrade the estate in each year since Defence Estates was established; what proportion of the defence estate has been upgraded in each year over that period; when he expects the upgrading of the entire estate to Grade 1 standard to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: As part of the periodic spending review, the Department agrees disposal targets with HM Treasury and a net departmental budget is set accordingly. There is no direct link between the amount spent on upgrading the estate to the disposal of surplus land and buildings. Exceptionally, the receipts from the disposal of Chelsea Barracks were ring-fenced for investment in service accommodation. Internal budgets are agreed on the basis of Defence priorities.
	From 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2009, the Department achieved disposal receipts totalling £3.4 billion. In 2008-09, the Department spent some £3 billion on the estate including investment to upgrade both the technical estate and accommodation.
	The following tables illustrate what proportion of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) has been upgraded as well as how much new or improved Single Living Accommodation (SLA) has been delivered since 2001. Figures prior to 2001 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Properties upgraded to highest standard for condition, SFA (GB) 
			   Number 
			 2001-02 2,700 
			 2002-03 3,870 
			 2003-04 1,440 
			 2004-05 2,610 
			 2005-06 1,705 
			 2006-07 1,215 
			 2007-08 637 
			 2008-09 726 
			 Total 14,903 
		
	
	
		
			  New or improved bed-spaces delivered, SLA 
			   Number 
			 2001-02 n/a 
			 2002-03 988 
			 2003-04 2,915 
			 2004-05 5,611 
			 2005-06 5,539 
			 2006-07 5,822 
			 2007-08 6,905 
			 2008-09 7,910 
			 Total 35,690 
		
	
	Most of the 14,000 SFA that we have brought up to Standard 1 for Condition since 2001 have been upgrades of existing properties rather than the construction of new properties. 90 per cent. of SFA is now at the two highest standards for condition. Our aim is to ensure that by March 2013 very little, if any, of the occupied SFA estate should be below Standard 2 for Condition. Subject to changing demand for SFA in the future and the availability of funding, we aspire that by 2020 all occupied properties in the UK will be at Standard 1 for condition.
	However, the majority of the 35,000 SLA delivered since 2003 are newly constructed en-suite accommodation. A further 20,000 bed-spaces will be delivered by 2013.

Armed Forces: Housing

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2009,  Official Report, column 831W, on armed forces: housing, what the average monthly rent for properties in the Greater London area rented under the substitute single living accommodation scheme is.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 9 November 2009
	As at 23 October 2009, the average monthly rent for substitute service single accommodation properties in the Greater London area was £1,121.37. Utility bills are paid by the Ministry of Defence. Service personnel can claim the following allowances to assist with the cost of living in the Greater London Area: Food and Incidental Allowance, Get You Home Travel, Home to Duty Travel and Recruitment and Retention Allowance (London). Service personnel are reimbursed the cost of telephone line installations and monthly line rentals.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has  (a) commissioned,  (b) funded and  (c) undertaken on the mental health needs of service personnel and veterans since 2001; and what his most recent estimate is of the number of service personnel and veterans with such needs.

Kevan Jones: The MOD fully supports the need for high quality research which examines the mental health of service personnel and veterans. We have funded the Kings College London Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) to undertake major research into the health of those who have served on recent operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of their findings have already been published in the peer-reviewed medical literature, including major pieces of work published in 2006. Within KCMHR, the Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health (ACDMH) has been established as an in-house mental health research resource which is looking into a variety of smaller scale aspects of dealing with the mental health of service personnel.
	The KCMHR and ACDMH website can be found at the following link:
	www.kcl.ac.uk/kcmhr
	This contains links to a wide range of individual research papers. The 2006 KCMHR 10-year report provides a particularly useful summary of research during the first 10 years since its foundation in 1996.
	More recent research includes a paper on the prevalence of common mental disorders and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the UK Military (Iversen et al., BMC Psychiatry 2009, 9:68). This concluded that the rate of common mental disorders in the sample was 27.2 per cent.; this figure is in keeping with a substantial review of European adults, carried out in 2005, that also found 27 per cent. suffered with a common mental disorder. This study confirmed previous findings which show that depression and alcohol abuse are the most common mental disorders in the UK military, not post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as previously assumed by some commentators. The paper's results support MOD's provision of a compressive mental health service rather than a service which is overly focussed on treating PTSD.
	Research commissioned from other academic institutions includes an investigation by Manchester university into the levels of suicide amongst those leaving the UK armed forces over the period 1996-2005, compared with matched personnel remaining in service and the general population. This work was published in the peer-reviewed journal Public Library of Science (PloS) Medicine in March 2009. The results showed that overall rates of suicide of those who left were little different from the equivalent serving or civilian general populations. We also commissioned research into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from Royal Holloway and University College London, comparing immediate and delayed onset PTSD in military veterans. The study looked at clinical course, symptoms, risk factors, stressors and disabling effects. We understand its findings will be published in peer reviewed literature shortly.
	Papers currently undergoing peer review or awaiting publication address further the mental health of service personnel and veterans, in both the National Service era and post-National Service. We shall continue to support well-founded research into these issues, to inform our policies to provide care for those whose mental health has been affected by serving in the armed forces.

Armed Forces: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people have joined the  (a) army,  (b) navy and (c) RAF from (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Chorley in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held in the format requested, however the following table provides details of those recruited through the Armed Forces Careers Offices (AFCO) in Lancashire, to give an indication of armed forces recruitment in this area.
	This information will not provide a comprehensive picture of the recruitment of individuals who live in Lancashire as it does not include those Lancashire residents who may have chosen to join through AFCOs elsewhere or through some other means, such as the internet. In addition, RN/RM and Army officer figures are not provided as these officers tend to be recruited through a wider variety of means and any information provided would not be meaningful in this context.
	Data for the RN and the RAF for financial years before 2003-04 are not available as new IT systems have since been introduced.
	
		
			  Financial year  Preston (Tri-Service AFCO)  Blackburn (Army AFCO)  Blackpool (Army AFCO)  Burnley (Army AFCO) 
			  1997-98 
			 Army 158 109 136 131 
			  
			  1998-99 
			 Army 145 96 159 135 
			  
			  1999-2000 
			 Army 152 101 139 154 
			  
			  2000-01 
			 Army 117 93 126 94 
			  
			  2001-02 
			 Army 100 95 99 88 
			  
			  2002-03 
			 Army 128 114 114 107 
			  
			  2003-04 
			 RN/RM 89 - - - 
			 Army 114 85 94 103 
			 RAF 112 - - - 
			  
			  2004-05 
			 RN/RM 66 - - - 
			 Army 83 72 86 88 
			 RAF 70 - - - 
			  
			  2005-06 
			 RN/RM 76 - - - 
			 Army 132 122 103 108 
			 RAF 36 - - - 
			  
			  2006-07 
			 RN/RM 86 - - - 
			 Army 119 115 107 108 
			 RAF 59 - - - 
			  
			  2007-08 
			 RN/RM 77 - - - 
			 Army 140 71 69 103 
			 RAF 82 - - - 
			  
			  2008-09 
			 RN/RM 107 - - - 
			 Army 130 70 95 96 
			 RAF 170 - - -

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual trained strength is of each (i) service and (ii) rank in the armed forces.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures for trained UK regular armed forces requirements and trained UK regular armed forces strengths for each service and rank are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Naval service trained UK regular strengths( 1)  and requirements by NATO rank 
			  NATO rank  Requirement( 2)  Trained strength 
			 OF-7 and above(3) 30 40 
			 OF-6 60 80 
			 OF-5 230 280 
			 OF-4 1,110 1,140 
			 OF-3(4) 2,160 2,190 
			 OF-2 3,000 2,630 
			 OF-1 - 40 
			 Officers total 6,590 6,410 
			
			 OR-9 740 760 
			 OR-8 880 800 
			 OR-7 3,730 4.000 
			 OR-6 5,090 4,570 
			 OR-4 6,900 6,210 
			 OR-3 - 540 
			 OR-2 11,690 11,050 
			 Other ranks total 29,020 27,930 
		
	
	
		
			  Army trained UK regular strengths and requirements( 1)  by NATO rank 
			  NATO rank  Requirement( 5)  Trained strength 
			 OF-7 and above(3) 60 70 
			 OF-6 170 180 
			 OF-5 520 590 
			 OF-4 1,750 1,790 
			 OF-3 4,300 4,860 
			 OF-2 4,930 4,680 
			 OF-1 1,810 1,640 
			 Officers total 13,560 13,800 
			
			 OR-9 1,380 1,740 
			 OR-8 4,260 4,830 
			 OR-7 5,810 6,050 
			 OR-6 10,320 9,730 
			 OR-4 16,640 14,870 
			 OR-3 17,720 15,760 
			 OR-2 29,470 29,130 
			 Other ranks total 85,600 82,120 
		
	
	
		
			  RAF trained UK regular strengths and requirements( 1)  by NATO rank 
			  NATO rank  Requirement( 6)  Trained strength 
			 OF-6 and above(3) 100 130 
			 OF-5 290 330 
			 OF-4 1,130 1,230 
			 OF-3 2,420 2,540 
			 OF-2 and below 4,720 4,260 
			 Officers total 8,670 8,480 
			
			 OR-9 1,080 1,210 
			 OR-7 3,180 3,180 
			 OR-6 6,610 6,210 
			 OR-4 8,640 8,370 
			 OR-2 and below 12,690 11,930 
			 Other ranks total(7) 32,190 30,900 
			 - = zero or rounded to zero. (1) Naval service strength figures include UK regular forces and full-time reserve service personnel filling regular posts. Army strength figures include trained UK regular forces and exclude Gurkhas, full-time reserve service personnel and mobilised reservists. RAF strength figures include UK regular forces and full-time reserve service personnel filling regular posts. (2) Naval service requirements by rank are the planning liabilities as determined by the naval service. They do not match DASA's published total requirements, which are based on the ceilings set in the DP09 planning round. (3) No services have personnel at NATO rank OF-10. (4) The naval service has no personnel at substantive rank OR-3 and no requirement at this rank. Marines with a substantive rank of OR-2 but acting as corporal are recorded as paid rank OR-3, which aligns with the recognised rank of lance corporal in the Army. (5) Army soldier RAL split by rank has been provided by DM(A). (6) RAF requirements are as provided by RAF MPC Mpr Reg. September 2009 liability was calculated by straight-line interpolation between DP08 1 April 2009 liability and DP09 1 April 2010 liability. (7) The Royal Air Force has no personnel at NATO ranks OR-3 or OR-8.  Notes: 1. Totals may not equal the sum of parts due to rounding. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10 with numbers ending in 5 rounded to the nearest multiple of 20, to prevent systematic bias. 2. Due to ongoing validation of data from the joint personnel administration system, all strength figures are provisional and subject to review.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual trained strength is of the Territorial Army (i) staff, (ii) Royal Armoured Corps, (iii) Royal Artillery, (iv) Royal Engineers, (v) Royal Signals, (vi) infantry, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Army Chaplains Department, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal Army Medical Corps, (xi) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (xii) Adjutant General's Corps, (xiii) Royal Army Veterinary Corps, (xiv) Small Arms School Corps, (xv) Royal Army Dentistry Corps, (xvi) Intelligence Corps, (xvii) Army Physical Training Corps and (xviii) Queen Alexandra's Royal Auxiliary Nursing Corps.

Bill Rammell: The strength of the Territorial Army by Arm/Service as at 1 March 2007 is provided in the following table. A more recent breakdown by Arm/Service is not available, but the current overall strength of the TA, as at 1 September 2009, is at 34,380 subject to review. The requirement is only available for the Territorial Army as a whole.
	
		
			  Stren gth of the Territorial Army by arm/s ervice as at 1 March 2007 
			  Arm/ s ervice  Requirement  Total TA 
			 Total 42,000 36,790 
			 Staff n/a 90 
			 HCAV/RAC n/a 1,360 
			 RA n/a 2,290 
			 RE n/a 2,530 
			 R SIGNALS n/a 3,910 
			 Infantry n/a 7,190 
			 AAC n/a 120 
			 RAChD n/a 70 
			 RLC n/a 6,030 
			 RAMC n/a 2,510 
			 REME n/a 2,400 
			 AGC (RMP) n/a 280 
			 AGC (SPS) n/a 1,030 
			 AGC (ETS) n/a 20 
			 AGC (ALS) n/a 10 
			 RAVC n/a 10 
			 SASC n/a 10 
			 RADC n/a 50 
			 INT CORPS n/a 520 
			 APTC n/a 10 
			 General list n/a 300 
			 QARANC n/a 960 
			 OTC n/a 5,070 
			 Unallocated n/a * 
			 n/a = Not available. * = Zero or rounded to zero.  Notes: 1. Total TA include all personnel in Group A and B, Mobilised TA, OTC and NRPS, but excludes FTRS. 2. Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS) include both Group A and B. 3. TA Group B consists mainly of soldiers serving with UOTC units. 4. Figures include personnel capbadged OTC only and therefore exclude personnel from other Arms/Services serving at UOTC units. 5. Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 
		
	
	The information by arm/service is available in the most recent Army Monthly Manning Report and the latest total figures are in the most recent Army Personnel Statistics Report, both of which are available in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what planned reservist training exercises were cancelled in each year since 2003.

Bill Rammell: In respect of the Royal Naval Reserves and the Royal Air Force Reserves, there have been no specific training exercises cancelled since 2003.
	The following list shows the cancelled training exercises for the Territorial Army since 2007. The Department do not have central records relating to this prior to 2007. Exercises may be cancelled for a variety of reasons including effectiveness of delivery; value for money constraints; international policy dimensions and circumstances; operational constraints; and focus on current operations.
	 2007-08
	Bald Eagle 2007-08
	Cossack Steppe (CAC 5-2007-08)
	Lion Star 1-2007-08
	Romanian Express (CAC 7-2007-08)
	Lion Star 2-2007-08
	Lion Star 3-2007-08
	Lion Star 4-2007-08
	Flying Rose 2-2007-08
	Flying Rose 2-2008-09(1)
	Mulberry Tree/Prickly Pear 2008-09(1)
	150 Tpt Regt (V) OBUA Trg
	Trg weekend 150 Tpt Regt (V)
	Outreach 4-Georgian Express
	Tricolour 3-2008-09(1)
	Trg Ex-75 Engr Regt (V)
	 2008-09
	Mulberry Tree
	Black Warrior
	Paperchase
	(1) These exercises were cancelled during 2007-08, but were due to take place in 2008-09.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of training exercises have been cancelled in 2009 to date; and what exercises those were.

Bill Rammell: To date, 9 per cent. of programmed training exercises have been cancelled in 2009. Exercises may be cancelled for a variety of reasons including effectiveness of delivery; value for money; international policy dimensions and circumstances; operational constraints; and focus on current operations.
	The following lists the cancelled training exercises:
	JTFEX 09
	Crimson Eagle 09-1
	Snow Falcon 09
	Lone Fin 09
	Torpedo Focus 09-2
	Sheldrake Spear 09
	Green Flag West 09-1
	TLT NITEX 09-1
	TLP 09-2
	Spontex 09-1
	UAE ATLC 12
	Egemen 2009
	Lone Eagle 09-1
	Baltops 09
	TLP 09-3
	Maxeval 09
	Harding Flame 09-1
	LIVEX 09
	Roman Cohorts
	Batus Run 09-1
	Blue Flag 09-1
	Maple Flag 42-2
	Maple Flag 42-3
	Batus Run 09-2
	Crown Pinnacle 09-4
	Bold Avenger 09
	Latin Bull 09
	RAF DOT 09
	Batus Run 09-5
	1 ACC WTI 09
	Lion Sun 11
	Mulberry Tree
	Black Warrior
	Cobb Ring
	Roman Eagle
	Paperchase
	Global Maple
	Global Kukri.

Armed Forces: Training

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2009,  Official Report, columns 569-70, on pre-deployment training, what his definition is of an unacceptable balance of risk.

Bill Rammell: There is always a balance to be struck in allocating equipment to meet both operational and training needs. When new equipment is introduced into service, the Department's priority is to ensure that sufficient quantities are available for training to enable operators to meet basic qualification standards prior to their deployment. This must be balanced with the requirement to get equipment into theatre as quickly as possible so that troops can benefit from the additional capability.
	We recognise that achieving this balance can mean that it takes longer to establish a sufficient pool of equipment fully to meet the training requirement. In such cases, the training pool is managed in a way that ensures operators have as much experience of the equipment as possible before they deploy. If necessary, this training will be supplemented after individuals arrive in theatre. Where troops already in theatre are provided with newly introduced equipment, specialist training teams will deploy to ensure the equipment operators get the training they need.
	The quantities of equipment available for pre-deployment training continue to improve. For example the numbers of Jackal and Ridgback vehicles in the training pool increased by 50 per cent. between July and October this year. The number of Mastiff vehicles in the training pool is expected to improve in the next few months.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armoured vehicles of each type in the armed forces are  (a) fit to be deployed and  (b) in service in Afghanistan.  [Official Report, 25 November 2009, Vol. 501, c. 13-14MC.]

Quentin Davies: I am withholding the information requested on the numbers of vehicles fit for deployment and in service on operations for operational security reasons.
	I can however provide figures for armoured vehicles which are fit for purpose. This is defined as vehicles that are capable of being used in whatever capacity they are required for. Fit for purpose figures as at 4 November 2009 are provided in the following table, along with total fleet numbers.
	
		
			  Vehicle  Total fleet number  Number fit for purpose 
			 AS90 145 132 
			 Challenger 2 345 261 
			 CRAARV 81 70 
			 CVR(T) 1,168 928 
			 FV 430 (Mk2 and Bulldog) 1,400 658 
			 Fuchs 11 11 
			 Saxon 147 147 
			 Titan 33 24 
			 Trojan 33 25 
			 Warrior 793 552 
			 Mastiff 271 134 
			 Panther 401 334 
			 Ridgback 118 73 
			 Snatch 2 (including variants) 653 203 
			 Vector 192 87

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual level of spare part availability is for each (i) armoured vehicle type and (ii) aircraft type in the armed forces (A) overall and (B) in Afghanistan.

Quentin Davies: The information for armoured vehicles is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on spares availability for rotary-wing aircraft is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The required level of spares for fixed-wing aircraft is included in contractual agreements with industry or is set by the Front Line Command. The achieved level of available spares is measured as part of these agreements.
	The following information for the required and achieved level of spares for each fixed-wing aircraft fleet is provided as at September 2009 unless otherwise stated. The level of spares for operational deployments to Afghanistan is not recorded separately unless otherwise stated.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many outstanding cases of litigation the Atomic Weapons Establishment is involved in.

Quentin Davies: There is one outstanding litigated employer's liability claim involving the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE).
	In addition there is an ongoing Group Action brought by 1,011 Nuclear Test Veterans against the Ministry of Defence in which AWE has been providing documentation to assist the legal disclosure process.

Atomic Weapons Establishment: Floods

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Lewes of 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 301W, what his most recent estimate is of the costs arising from the July 2007 flooding at each Atomic Weapons Establishment site.

Bill Rammell: Final costs, to the extent that they are not covered by commercial insurance, are still the subject of commercial discussions between the MOD and AWE plc.

Atomic Weapons Establishment: Radioactive Waste

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the preparation of an integrated waste strategy for the Atomic Weapons Establishment.  [Official Report, 12 March 2010, Vol. 507, c. 13MC.]

Quentin Davies: An integrated waste strategy for the Atomic Weapons Establishment was first approved by the board of AWE plc. in March 2007 and updated in April 2008 and May 2009. The regulators (the Environment Agency and the nuclear installations inspectorate) have assessed the strategy as appropriate for use. It is being progressively implemented and is subject to annual review.

AWE Aldermaston

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when construction work on Project Pegasus at AWE Aldermaston is scheduled to commence.

Quentin Davies: Subject to the necessary planning permission, construction work on Project Pegasus at AWE Aldermaston is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2011.

AWE Burghfield

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether non-UK workers will be allowed to undertake construction work on Project Mensa at AWE Burghfield.

Quentin Davies: Nationality will not present an automatic barrier to being allowed to undertake construction work on Project Mensa. All individuals employed on the project will, however, be required to achieve the necessary level of security clearance, on a case-by-case basis, as is the situation for all AWE workers.

AWE Burghfield

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what emergency arrangements are in place to provide for the protection of contractors working on Project Mensa at AWE Burghfield in the event of an accident leading to a release of radioactive material.

Quentin Davies: The Nuclear Site Licence conditions require robust emergency arrangements to be in place at AWE Burghfield to deal with all reasonably foreseeable accidents. Specifically, and in line with other nuclear operators, emergency countermeasures include sheltering and, where appropriate, subsequent evacuation of personnel considered to be at risk from a potential release of radioactive material. These onsite arrangements provide for the protection of all persons present on the establishment, including contractors working within the Project Mensa compound, in the unlikely event of a release of radioactive material.

AWE Burghfield

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to hold an exercise to rehearse arrangements for dealing with a radiation release at AWE Burghfield with the potential to affect contractors working in the Project Mensa compound.

Quentin Davies: Onsite emergency arrangements at AWE Burghfield are regularly tested in exercises. Where appropriate, these exercises test the arrangements for the protection of all personnel present on the site, including contractors working within the Project Mensa compound. The last such exercise was held in October 2009. The timetable for the next exercise has not yet been agreed.

AWE Burghfield

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what safety rules construction work on Project Mensa at AWE Burghfield will be conducted.

Quentin Davies: Construction work on Project Mensa will be subject to the same safety rules that apply to all construction projects at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. The overarching legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which includes, for example, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. There is also a comprehensive suite of AWE plc company processes and procedures in place to ensure the safety of operations, including those associated with the construction of new and/or replacement facilities.

AWE Burghfield

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Lewes of 11 June 2008,  Official Report, column 258W, on AWE Burghfield, how many of the work packages remain uncompleted.

Quentin Davies: All the work packages have been completed.

Departmental Postal Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which providers  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies had a contract to provide postal services in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) between 1 January 2009 and 1 July 2009 and (iv) since 1 July 2009.

Bill Rammell: The MOD contracts solely with Royal Mail Group for the provision of mail services through the Forces Mail Settlement.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Bill Rammell: Information on accommodation costs is not held centrally. The overseas visits by all Ministers list however provides aggregate information on overseas travel expenditure, including the cost of travel and accommodation. This also contains details on the number of officials accompanying them where non-scheduled travel was used. The latest list for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 was published in July 2009. Details for the 2009-10 financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. All travel is made in accordance with the ministerial code.

Disposal Services Agency

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what contractors have been approved by the Disposal Services Authority to sell surplus British defence equipment;
	(2)  what items were sold by the Disposal Services Authority in 2008-09; how much each item was sold for; to whom each item was sold; and who approved each sale.

Quentin Davies: The list of DSA's current contractors that sell surplus MOD equipment is provided as follows.
	 UK contracts
	AgustaWestland
	Azcom Business Solutions Ltd.
	BAe Insyte
	Bonhams 1793 Ltd.
	Babcock Support Services Ltd.
	Cronifer UK Ltd. (now expired, active during 2008-09)
	Donelan Trading Ltd. (now expired, active 2008-09)
	Field Textiles Ltd.
	J. Graham
	L. W. Vass Ltd.
	Leafield Logistics and Technical Services Ltd.
	Liquidity Services Ltd.
	MBDA
	Metal and Waste Recycling Ltd.
	Office Green Ltd.
	OSS Group Ltd.
	Ramco (UK) Ltd.
	Silver Lining Industries Ltd.
	Sims Recycling Solutions (UK) Ltd.
	Thales Air Defence
	Thales (Navy)
	Vector Aerospace
	Veolia Environmental Service (UK) plc
	Witham (Specialist Vehicles) Ltd.
	 Overseas contracts
	Field Textiles (generated overseas)
	L. Jackson and Company Ltd. (currently under review by DSA)
	Vebeg GMBH
	Witham (generated overseas)
	DSA's sales range from large capital items such as ships to individual items such as computers. Details of the disposal of all individual surplus items could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The DSA gross total receipts for FY 2008-09 were £89 million.
	Approval for each sale is given at the appropriate level commensurate with the value of the asset, in accordance with the MOD approvals process.

Helicopters: Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters are  (a) required and  (b) available (i) for training and (ii) to support operations in Afghanistan.

Bill Rammell: I will not comment on the specific number of helicopters deployed to Afghanistan as our longstanding policy is that to do so would, or would be likely to, provide information prejudicial to the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.
	I will say, however, that we are planning to further increase helicopter capability in Afghanistan over the next 12 months. By January next year, the number of flying hours will have increased by 130 per cent. compared to November 2006 levels.
	The requirement for helicopter training is measured in terms of flying hours rather than the number of airframes. All helicopters in the Forward Fleet which are not deployed on operations are available for training, including pre-deployment training. The actual numbers employed on training will therefore fluctuate continuously according to need. There are sufficient helicopters available to ensure that our crews are fully prepared for front line operations. The Forward Fleet are those aircraft available to Front Line Commands and training units.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have received requests to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 19 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1210W.

Met Office

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the Met Office Review Group has met; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) Met Office Review Group meets regularly in undertaking the review.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 October 2009,  Official Report, column 239W.

Met Office

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) agenda and  (b) minutes of the meetings of the Met Office Review Group; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Secretary of State for Defence has no plans to place in the Library the agenda and minutes of the meetings of the Met Office Review Group.
	An update on the Met Office review will be provided around the next pre-Budget report.

Met Office

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members are of the Met Office Review Group; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) Met Office Review Group comprises officials from the Ministry of Defence, Shareholder Executive, HM Treasury and the Met Office.

Met Office

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any Ministers have attended meetings of the Met Office Review Group; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Ministers have not attended Met Office Review Group meetings, attendance is at official level with regular reports to Ministers.

Military Aircraft

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the level of immediately available combat air power.

Bill Rammell: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sites his Department is considering for the submarine dismantling and radioactive waste storage elements of the Submarine Dismantling Project.

Quentin Davies: There are currently four regions where there are MOD or defence-related commercial sites that are likely to be considered for Submarine Dismantling Project activities. These regions are Devon, Fife, Argyll and Bute and Berkshire. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Bill Rammell) has written to certain elected representatives, including my hon. Friend, in those regions.
	The project is at an early stage in the process to develop an effective public consultation and associated strategic environmental assessment. This work has included identification of existing nuclear sites, both defence and civil, that are technically capable of submarine dismantling or storing the resultant radioactive waste. At this stage, two sites have been identified that could be technically capable of carrying out dismantling activities and 12 sites have been identified that could be technically capable of carrying out waste storage. Technical capability is only one aspect and the wider suitability of sites has not yet been assessed.
	Further analysis work is still required and, until the public consultation is complete, no decisions will be taken on sites for either submarine dismantling or waste storage. I am withholding details of the individual sites identified at this time, as the MOD intend to publish this information in the future as part of the planned public consultation and strategic environmental assessment.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference are of the Nuclear Warhead Sustainment Steering Group; and whether US personnel will participate in the work of the group.

Bill Rammell: The Nuclear Warhead Sustainment Steering Group (NWSSG) is an internal MOD committee providing oversight and direction of the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme (NWCSP). It meets quarterly and its specific responsibilities are to:
	Review progress in delivery of the programme.
	Oversight of the management of the programme.
	Resolve strategic issues impacting the delivery of the programme.
	Agree changes to the NWCSP strategic outputs and associated funding.
	Agree options for strategic priorities and strategic risk management.
	The committee is attended by representatives of MOD's Strategic Technologies branch, Chemical, Biological, Radiation, Nuclear (CBRN) policy branch, the Deterrent capability branch, and the Strategic Weapons project office.
	Independent members from the MOD's scrutiny branch also attend and other representatives are called as necessary. There are no plans for US personnel to participate in the work of this committee.

Nuclear Weapons: Inspections

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the next inspection of the nuclear weapons convoy and associated support establishments is planned to take place.

Quentin Davies: Both the nuclear weapons convoy and associated support establishments are subject to regular inspection and assessment. I am withholding the information on the next planned inspection as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security.

Nuclear Weapons: Inspections

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many activities were assessed in the last inspection of the nuclear weapons convoy and associated support establishments; and how many such activities received  (a) satisfactory and  (b) unsatisfactory ratings.

Bill Rammell: At the last nuclear weapons convoy inspection, 700 separate activities were inspected. Individual activities do not receive ratings. The overall assessment of the inspection was a satisfactory rating and the inspection did not identify any concerns over safety of operations.

Radioactive Materials: Transport

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 30 April 2008,  Official Report, column 484W, on radioactive materials: transport, what the expected in-service date is for the refurbished truck cargo heavy duty trailers.

Bill Rammell: The refurbished truck cargo heavy duty trailers, on current plans, are to be brought into service by the end of 2010.

Radioactive Materials: Transport

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the average cost of a round trip made by a truck cargo heavy duty convoy.

Bill Rammell: The costs of a convoy move are wide-ranging and include, for example, the Atomic Weapons Establishment operations, Ministry of Defence Police and Royal Marine support, the monitoring of the operation, activities at the Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport and nuclear accident response assets held in readiness during convoy operations.
	This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Radioactive Materials: Transport

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of an original truck cargo heavy duty mark 2 vehicle at the time of initial purchase.

Quentin Davies: The order for these vehicles was placed in the late 1980s. Officials have requested the relevant files from archive and I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been retrieved.

Reservists

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists are serving overseas.

Bill Rammell: There are over 1,500 volunteer or regular reservists serving on or in support of operations overseas. There are also some 2,300 full-time reserve service (FTRS) individuals serving in the regular forces, many of whom will be serving on or have just returned from operations. In both cases, once called up, these personnel are not tracked as separate groups in terms of whether they are located overseas or in the UK.

Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to allowing members of the Gibraltar Regiment to volunteer for front-line duties with UK forces in Operation Herrick.

Bill Rammell: The primary role of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment is to support the defence and security of Gibraltar. Deployments in support of other tasks have been undertaken by individual volunteers; 15 personnel from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment have deployed on operations in Afghanistan between August 2004 and February 2009. Since then there has been a temporary suspension in volunteers being deployed while we investigated a potential issue with compensation arrangements covering such deployments. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment are entitled to compensation benefits under their own terms and conditions of service including when deployed to Afghanistan. Work has commenced to bring these compensation arrangements in line with the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme through legislation. The temporary suspension has now been lifted.

SAR Chivenor

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for the proposed reduction of service at SAR Chivenor from 24 hour to 12 hours; and when the proposed changes will take place.

Bill Rammell: The improved capability of the new Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter will allow us to continue to provide effective coverage for all night-time incidents using only nine of the 12 SAR bases. The aim is to roll out the new service by taking over sites incrementally, starting with those operated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in 2012. The day-time-only service at RMB Chivenor will start some time after 2012.

SAR Chivenor

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the implications are of the proposed reductions to 12-hour service at SAR Chivenor and SAR Portland for the service provided by SAR Culdrose in terms of  (a) area coverage and  (b) response times.

Bill Rammell: The decision to deliver the future helicopter search and rescue (SAR-H) service from nine full-time and three part-time (12-hour, daytime only) bases continues to ensure our ability to reach all very high, high and 75 per cent. of medium risk areas within one hour of take off. This decision has no day-time impact on the expected SAR-H demands on RNAS Culdrose. RNAS Culdrose is likely to be the first alternative responder to night-time incidents for one medium risk area that RMB Chivenor currently provides lead cover for RAF Valley and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency site at Lee on Solent will provide cover for other areas. Cover to this area will remain within the required one hour response time.

Somalia: Peacekeeping Operations

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces have been deployed in mainland Somalia in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 2 November 2009
	 No members of the armed forces have operationally deployed to Somalia over the past two years. However, the following numbers of Regular Armed Forces personnel have visited Somalia in the course of their duties:
	In 2008 one individual visited the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in Mogadishu, and five personnel visited Somaliland to consider ways to improve security for international community visiting that region.
	In 2009 two individuals have visited Mogadishu. The first to visit AMISOM as before; the second has visited in the course of his duties as secondee to the United Nations Political Office for Somalia based in Nairobi.
	This year in total 11 personnel visited Somaliland on three different occasions to scope possible assistance to Somaliland authorities.

Territorial Army: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) regular and  (b) Territorial Army (i) officers and (ii) personnel of other ranks have been mobilised for service overseas within six months of completing their basic training in each of the last three years.

Bill Rammell: This information is not held in the format requested.

Territorial Army: Training

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) nurses,  (b) paramedics,  (c) mechanics and  (d) other skilled personnel have been trained through the Territorial Army in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The Territorial Army (TA) trains a broad range of specialists. Many specialists, including medical specialists, are recruited into the TA with relevant civilian qualifications and are provided with the necessary military training to be able to employ their skills in a military environment. Other specialists receive more comprehensive trade training. There is no single classification of mechanics in the TA. The number of vehicle mechanics trained in the last five complete years is as follows:
	
		
			  TA trained as vehicle mechanics 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 64 
			 2005-06 64 
			 2006-07 64 
			 2007-08 56 
			 2008-09 66

USA: Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sub-committee meetings (SUBWOG) of all Joint Working Groups (JOWOG) have been held under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement between the US and the UK in the last 12 months.

Quentin Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1149W. I am withholding the information on the nature or extent of work undertaken by sub-committees to the Joint Working Groups, as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security.

Volunteer Reserve Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on each volunteer reserve force in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The Strategic Review of Reserves, published in April 2009, contains a cost analysis of the reserve forces, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on the 29 April 2009.
	Cost estimates in this area are complicated by the fact that expenditure on Reserve Forces and Regular Forces overlap in the areas of training, equipment and estates. More work is under way to refine the Department's understanding of the fixed and variable costs of Reserves.

Volunteer Reserve Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow for each volunteer reserve service was in each month of 2009.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows the inflow and outflow number for the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and Royal Naval Reserve. The Royal Marines Reserve and the Army Reserve inflow and outflow figures are not held centrally.
	
		
			   Inflow  Outflow 
			  Month  Royal Naval Reserve  Royal Auxiliary Air Force  Royal Naval Reserve  Royal Auxiliary Air Force 
			 January 24 37 31 25 
			 February 15 83 51 30 
			 March 15 25 25 24 
			 April 30 39 25 30 
			 May 13 62 16 30 
			 June 27 66 21 28 
			 July 36 24 25 26 
			 August 19 39 16 39 
			 September 20 20 21 25

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Health Education

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for the promotion of safe and responsible drinking in the period to Christmas and the New Year.

Gillian Merron: The Department's 'Know Your Limits' campaign, launched in May 2008, aims to improve public awareness of alcohol units, lower-risk alcohol consumption guidelines and of the links between alcohol consumption and health. The Department is currently reassessing its communications strategy around alcohol, with the aim of launching further activity early in 2010.
	Throughout November, the Department is working in partnership with gyms and leisure centres to encourage gym members to monitor their alcohol consumption and to cut down. In the run up to Christmas and new year, there will also be information in newspapers and magazines focussing on the relationship between units and drinking at home over Christmas.
	A helpline and interactive web-based support and advice are also available nationally on an ongoing basis.

Barnet Primary Care Trust: Dental Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the unused capacity for NHS dental services in Barnet Primary Care Trust.

Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally.

Cancer: Drugs

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which cancer drugs the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has  (a) recommended and  (b) not recommended for NHS use since 1 November 2008; how long the appraisal of each took; and whether the pharmaceutical company supplying each such drug offered to make it available on a risk-sharing basis.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is shown in the table. For each of the appraisals, the table shows whether one or more Patient Access Schemes agreed between the Department and the manufacturer have been considered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	
		
			  Topic  Start of NICE appraisal( 1)  Date of final NICE guidance  Recommendation  Patient access scheme considered by NICE 
			 Hycamtin (topotecan) for cervical cancer (recurrent) December 2008 October 2009 Partial recommendation No 
			 Sutent (sunitinib) for Gastrointestinal stromal tumours August 2008 September 2009 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 Alimta (pemetrexed) for the first-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer October 2008 September 2009 Partial recommendation No 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab) for Colo-rectal cancer (first line) January 2008 August 2009 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 Avastin (bevacizumab) (first-line), Nexavar (sorafenib) (first-line and second-line), Sutent (sunitinib) (second-line) and Torisel (temsirolimus) (first-line) for the treatment of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma September 2007(2) August 2009 Not recommended Nexavar (sorafenib)-yes 
			 Avastin (bevacizumab)-yes 
			 Sutent (sunitinib)-yes 
			 Mabthera (rituximab) for first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia September 2008 July 2009 Partial recommendation No 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab) for Head and Neck Cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) September 2008 June 2009 Not recommended No 
			 Revlimid (lenalidomide) for Multiple Myeloma April 2008 June 2009 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 Sutent (sunitinib) for the first-line treatment of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma September 2007(2) March 2009 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 Tarceva (erlotinib) for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer March 2006 November 2008 Partial recommendation Yes 
			 (1) The date NICE commenced work on the appraisal. NICE will also have carried out scoping work for the appraisal before this date. (2) This is the date on which the Multiple Technology Appraisal (MTA) began for Avastin (bevacizumab) (first-line), Nexavar (sorafenib) (first-line and second-line), Sutent (sunitinib) (first and second-line) and Torisel (temsirolimus) (first-line) for the treatment of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The MTA was subsequently split and Sutent (sunitinib) for the first-line treatment of renal cell carcinoma was considered in a separate Single Technology Appraisal.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many invitations to participate in the national bowel cancer screening programme have been issued; how many persons have referred themselves to the programme; how many test kits have been  (a) sent out and  (b) returned; how many people have attended for a colonoscopy; how many polyps have been removed; and how many cancers have been diagnosed in respect of (i) men and (ii) women (A) in each primary care trust, (B) in each screening centre and (C) at each regional programme hub.

Ann Keen: As at 26 October there were 4,806,090 invitations sent. 59,975 people aged over 69 referred themselves to the programme. 4,598,720 test kits were sent out and 2,665,954 were returned. 37,299 people attended for a colonoscopy and 17,027 patients had polyps removed. Information on cancers found by screening centre and regional hub is provided in the following table.
	Information on number of cancers by gender and by primary care trust is not routinely reported. We will provide the data as soon as these become available, and place a copy in the Library.
	
		
			  Information on cancers found by screening centre and regional hub as at 26 October 
			  Programme hub  Screening centre  Cancers found 
			 Midlands and North West Bolton 103 
			 Midlands and North West Cheshire 102 
			 Midlands and North West Cheshire and Merseyside 79 
			 Midlands and North West Coventry and Warwickshire 100 
			 Midlands and North West Cumbria and Westmorland 127 
			 Midlands and North West Heart of England 86 
			 Midlands and North West Hereford and Worcestershire 0 
			 Midlands and North West Lancashire 57 
			 Midlands and North West Merseyside/North Cheshire 187 
			 Midlands and North West North Staffordshire 31 
			 Midlands and North West Norwich 31 
			 Midlands and North West Pennine 63 
			 Midlands and North West Sandwell and West Birmingham 52 
			 Midlands and North West Shropshire 0 
			 Midlands and North West Wolverhampton 194 
			   1,212 
			 Southern Bath, Swindon, Wiltshire 17 
			 Southern Berkshire 57 
			 Southern Bristol and Weston 39 
			 Southern Buckinghamshire 0 
			 Southern Cornwall 0 
			 Southern Dorset 76 
			 Southern East Kent 24 
			 Southern Gloucestershire 91 
			 Southern Hampshire 20 
			 Southern Solent and West Sussex 163 
			 Southern Somerset 70 
			 Southern South Devon 127 
			 Southern Surrey 66 
			 Southern Sussex 8 
			 Southern West Kent and Medway 5 
			   763 
			
			 London North East London 85 
			 London South East London 55 
			 London St. Georges 128 
			 London St. Marks 90 
			 London University College London 72 
			 London West London 46 
			   476 
			
			 North East Bradford and Airedale 38 
			 North East Calderdale Kirklees and Wakefield 12 
			 North East County Durham and Darlington 15 
			 North East Harrogate Leeds and York 3 
			 North East Hull 122 
			 North East North of Tyne 76 
			 North East South of Tyne 105 
			 North East South Yorkshire 138 
			 North East Tees 158 
			   668 
			
			 Eastern Bedford 20 
			 Eastern Cambridge 71 
			 Eastern Derbyshire 146 
			 Eastern East and North Hertfordshire 46 
			 Eastern Leicestershire, Northampton and Rutland 124 
			 Eastern North Essex 29 
			 Eastern Norwich 234 
			 Eastern Nottinghamshire 82 
			 Eastern Peterborough and Huntingdon 1 
			 Eastern South Essex 32 
			 Eastern South Yorkshire 19 
			 Eastern West Hertfordshire 45 
			   849 
			
			 Total  3,968

Contraceptives

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 13 March 2007,  Official Report, column 309W, on contraceptives, for what reasons the best practice guidance on reproductive healthcare has not been issued; what plans he has to issue such guidance on reproductive healthcare; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Following consultation with stakeholders, the best practice guidance on reproductive health care has been integrated into a sexual health commissioning framework which will be published later this year. This includes guidance to support commissioners in commissioning high quality services for contraception, including long acting reversible contraception methods, and abortion, in line with the vision set out in the NHS Next Stage Review.

Contraceptives

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated average annual spend on community contraceptive services was for women  (a) aged under 20 and  (b) aged 20 years and over in each primary care trust area in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally.

Dental Services: Wirral

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the availability of NHS dentistry services in Wirral;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that there is sufficient NHS dentistry provision in Wirral.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of patients seen by a national health service dentist in the previous 24 months in England, as at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 30 June 2009 is available in Table El of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2008-09 report. Information is available at primary care trust, strategic health authority and England levels.
	This report, published on 19 August 2009, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the website of the Information Centre for health and social care at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809
	The NHS has committed itself to ensuring that, by March 2011, all those who actively seek NHS dental care can access it. We have put in place the Dental Access Programme to support the NHS in achieving this commitment.

Departmental Aviation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many first-class flights were taken by each Minister in his Department in 2008-09; and what the  (a) origin,  (b) destination and  (c) cost was of each such flight.

Phil Hope: None. According to our records, each Minister travelling by air was booked business or economy class tickets.
	Travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Doctors: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects Sir Christopher Edwards' review of the effect of the European working time directive on junior doctor training to begin.

Ann Keen: The Medical Education England (MEE) review will be led by Professor Sir John Temple who is due to begin work shortly.
	Sir Christopher Edwards and the MME programme Board discussed at a board meeting on the 4 November the process, protocols and exact timings of the review that are now subject to final confirmation.

Doctors: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of doctors in training had worked for 48 hours or fewer in each week of the 12 months prior to August 2009.

Ann Keen: NHS Employers monitor the hours of junior doctors as part of the new deal pay monitoring agreement. The last available data are for September 2008 at which time two thirds of doctors in training (over 70 per cent.) were compliant with the European working time directive.

Drugs: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) under 16 and  (b) between 16 and 18 years were admitted to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of poisoning by drugs in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The information requested is in the following table. The system of diagnostic codes used to classify admission to hospital does not distinguish between recreational, illicit misuse or medical use of drugs.
	These data include admissions in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.
	
		
			   Age grouping 
			   15 years and under  16-18 years 
			 2008-09 11,166 10,054 
			 2007-08 12,159 10,405 
			 2006-07 12,121 9,404 
			 2005-06 12,567 9,138 
			 2004-05 11,537 7,652 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	The ICD-10 code categories for poisoning (either self-inflicted or accidental), are as follows and include overdose of these substances:
	T36-Poisoning by systemic antibiotics
	T37-Poisoning by other systemic anti-infectives and antiparasitics
	T38-Poisoning by hormones and their synthetic substitutes and antagonists, not elsewhere classified
	T39-Poisoning by nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics and antirheumatics
	T40-Poisoning by narcotics and psychodysleptics (hallucinogens)
	T41-Poisoning by anaesthetics and therapeutic gases
	T42-Poisoning by antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic and antiparkinsonism drugs
	T43-Poisoning by psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified
	T44-Poisoning by drugs primarily affecting the autonomic nervous system
	T45-Poisoning by primarily systemic and haematological agents, not elsewhere classified
	T46-Poisoning by agents primarily affecting the cardiovascular system
	T47-Poisoning by agents primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system
	T48-Poisoning by agents primarily acting on smooth and skeletal muscles and the respiratory system
	T49Poisoning by topical agents primarily affecting skin and mucous membrane and by ophthalmological, otorhinolaryngological and dental drugs
	T50-Poisoning by diuretics and other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances

Drugs: Rehabilitation

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people entering treatment with the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse left treatment free of their drug dependency  (a) with no drug use and  (b) with occasional drug use in each year since such information started to be counted within the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System.

Gillian Merron: The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse does not provide drug treatment but assures the delivery of local drug treatment services and collects data about treatment via the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System.
	The information requested can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Trends in treatment exit reasons (clients aged 18 or over) 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Completed free of dependency (no drug use) 3,953 4,862 6,347 8,980 
			 Completed free of dependency 7,255 8,855 11,927 15,676 
			 Total completed free of dependency 11,208 13,717 18,274 24,656 
		
	
	Statistics for 2008-09 were collected using a new methodology. The data for previous years presented above have been modified to fit the new methodology and excludes under 18-year olds to enable comparisons to be made.
	No drug use means that in the opinion of the treating clinician, the client is not only free of dependency but is not using any other illicit drugs at all on exiting treatment. Others successfully completing treatment may acknowledge occasional use of other illicit drugs which are judged by the clinician not to require treating.
	For figures under the previous methodology, including under 18-year olds, for the years 2004-05 to 2007-08 I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 9 July 2009,  Official Report, column 974W.
	Separate figures for young people accessing substance misuse services in 2008-09 will be published later in the year.

Exercise

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the planned budget is for delivery of the new physical activity care pathway Let's Get Moving.

Gillian Merron: So far the Department has spent approximately £500,000 in the development of the Let's Get Moving tools including the commissioning guidance on physical activity care pathway - Let's Get Moving. We are planning delivery and roll out activities over the coming months.

Exercise

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what areas the second year of the pilot of the Fit for the Future scheme will take place.

Gillian Merron: As set out in Be Active, Be Healthy - A plan for getting the nation moving the Fit for the Future pilot which commenced in April 2009 is running for 12 months in targeted areas in five local authorities (Suffolk, Manchester, Torbay, Bristol and Newcastle). A copy of the plan has already been placed in the Library.
	Any future funding and delivery arrangements for Fit for the Future will be subject to the outcome of the monitoring and evaluation that has been put in place. A final report on the programme is due in June 2010.

Food

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many impact assessments conducted by the Food Standards Agency as part of its written consultations included rural-proofing analyses  (a) before and  (b) after 19 May 2009.

Gillian Merron: A rural proofing analysis has been included in six of the Food Standards Agency's consultation stage impact assessments for England published before 19 May 2009, and two after 19 May 2009.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) objectives and  (b) terms of reference are of the programme of consumer engagement on genetic modification which he has asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to undertake; and what budget has been allocated for the project by (i) his Department and (ii) the FSA.

Gillian Merron: This work, which will explore public awareness, knowledge and attitudes about genetically modified foods, is at the initial stages of development, and a budget has still to be finalised. It will be funded by the Food Standards Agency and other Departments with an interest, with co-funding from Sciencewise. The programme will be overseen by an independent steering group that will agree terms of reference when it meets for the first time on 25 and 26 November 2009.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which research projects have been funded by  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council on the safety of genetically modified food in the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: Since April 2000, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has commissioned work under three research programmes relevant to the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods. Prior to April 2000, food safety research was the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). Details of the individual projects commissioned by MAFF and the FSA are available on the research pages of the Food Standards Agency's website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/science/research/researchinfo/foodcomponentsresearch/novelfoodsresearch/
	The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has not funded any research during the last 10 years specifically on the safety of genetically modified food, but it has funded one project to analyse gene transfer from food plants to human intestinal microflora and intestinal epithelium.

Haemophilia

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2009,  Official Report, column 900W, on haemophilia, to which viruses haemophiliacs have been exposed through infected blood products in the last 10 years; how many cases of each  (a) viral infection and  (b) combination of viral infections have been reported to his Department; and what estimate he has made of the number of such cases unreported in the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA's) Yellow Card reporting system is used by health care professionals and patients to voluntarily report suspected adverse reactions to medicines. Those reported reactions involving fractionated blood products, which may be related to quality issues are recorded on the MHRA's Defects database.
	MHRA officials have searched this database for cases of viral infection resulting from contamination of fractionated blood products over the past 10 years. There are no confirmed reports of viral transmission through contaminated blood products on the database for this period.
	Blood products manufactured from fractionated pools of donated plasma, such as clotting factors, are highly regulated in accordance with the European Community code for medicinal products as defined in Directive 2001/83/EC as amended. This means that the possibility of virus transmission through blood products is likely now to be rare, but it is not possible to completely eliminate infection risk. One case of variant Cretzfeldt-Jakob disease infection in a haemophilia patient was reported in February 2009. The origin of this non-viral infection is uncertain, but it is likely to have been via blood products during the 1990s.

Health Education

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures his Department used to take account of scientific evidence in taking decisions on which health promotion campaigns to undertake or commission in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: The Department takes scientific evidence into account when making policy decisions including undertaking or commissioning health promotion campaigns. For example, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have produced guidance that can be used as the basis for planning, delivering and evaluating public health activities aimed at changing health-related behaviours. The guidance is for national health service and non-NHS professionals and others including national policy makers in health and related sectors.

Health Education: Expenditure

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on  (a) consultants,  (b) advertising,  (c) publishing,  (d) public relations,  (e) professional training and  (f) other activities for each health promotion campaign (i) run by the Department and (ii) commissioned from other organisations, in (A) 2005-06, (B) 2006-07, (C) 2007-08 and (D) 2008-09; and which organisation ran each campaign which was not run by the Department.

Phil Hope: The following table shows the Department's advertising expenditure over the last four completed financial years.
	
		
			  Department of Health advertising spend in 2005-06  to  2008-09( 1) 
			  £ million 
			  Campaign  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Alcohol (from 2006-07 departmental contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office) 0.00 0.56 0.61 4.77 
			 Antibiotics 0.38 0.00 0.39 1.15 
			 Change4Life 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 
			 Drugs (departmental contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office) 0.18 1.34 0.67 1.45 
			 Flu (Immunisation) 1.83 1.11 0.98 1.42 
			 Hepatitis C 0.00 0.52 1.34 1.30 
			 HPV Vaccination 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.80 
			 Immunisation 0.00 1.66 0.00 0.32 
			 National health service including nurse recruitment 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 NHS Injury Benefits Scheme 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.00 
			 NHS Choices 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.55 
			 Patient Choice 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53 
			 Respiratory and Hand Hygiene 0.00 0.00 0.32 1.53 
			 Sexual health/teenage pregnancy 0.00 2.88 3.11 2.83 
			 Social care/worker recruitment 2.42 2.31 2.22 2.03 
			 Smoking-Tobacco Control 20.80 13.17 10.79 23.38 
			 Stroke 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.52 
			 Tobacco Legislation 0.00 0.32 5.38 0.00 
			 Winter (get the right treatment/ask about medicines day) 0.59 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 5 a Day 0.05 0.05 0.00 0.00 
			 E111/EHIC 1.00 0.00 0.00 0.16 
			 DH outdoor campaign 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Total 27.47 23.92 26.24 56.43 
			 (1) Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, COI commission and VAT). All figures exclude advertising rebates and audit adjustments and therefore may differ from COI official turnover figures. All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. These figures do not include departmental recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under £10,000. These figures may include occasional minor spend through COI by NHS organisations, to supplement national campaigns in their area. While this expenditure has been excluded as far as possible so that this chart reflects central departmental spend, it would incur disproportionate cost to validate that every item of NHS expenditure has been removed. 
		
	
	The following table shows the Department's expenditure on publishing over the last four completed financial years.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 7,541,114.58 
			 2006-07 6,844,186.98 
			 2007-08 4,544,623.78 
			 2008-09 6,387,399.42 
		
	
	The Department commissions public relations companies through two routes:
	The Department's own public relations (PR) framework established in compliance with European Union procurement directives. The framework agreement does not guarantee any work to suppliers. Some of the companies on the framework have not had any contracts with the Department during the past five years; others may have had several contracts across different campaigns.
	The Central Office of Information (COI) PR framework established in compliance with EU procurement directives.
	The following table shows the Department's expenditure over the last four completed financial years on public relations consultancies.
	
		
			  Department expenditure on public relations consultancies 2005-09 
			  £ 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Direct expenditure from the Department 
			 Excluding VAT 5,080,773 5,017,342 6,438,491 5,397,391 
			  
			  Expenditure through Central Office of Information 
			 Excluding VAT 71,756 65,580 25,582 4,200,876 
			  Notes: 1. The above expenditure includes additional expenditure made directly by NHS Connecting for Health (part of the Department of Health), but excludes any expenditure by Arms Length Bodies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies. 2. Expenditure through COI PR services includes work carried out by COI's regional PR team and PR agencies on the COI roster. 3. The above expenditure includes both fees and costs i.e. fees and expenses to cover time worked by agency staff and costs incurred during the work. Costs may include items such as: design, printing, venue hire, photography, travel and postage. However, it is not possible to extract a more detailed breakdown from Department of Health's financial reporting system. 
		
	
	The following table shows expenditure on health promotion campaigns commissioned from other organisations by the Department over the last four completed financial years. These figures represent communications activities but are not split into the individual categories as per departmental expenditure, as these records are not held centrally by the Department and to identify them would be to incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Campaign  £ 
			 2005-06 British Heart Foundation (1)4,000,000 
			  Terence Higgins Trust 1,200,000 
			  African HIV Policy Network 440,000 
			
			 2006-07 Cancer Research UK (1)3,000,000 
			  Terence Higgins Trust 1,700,000 
			  African HIV Policy Network 760,000 
			
			 2007-08 Terence Higgins Trust 1,700,000 
			  African HIV Policy Network 600,000 
			
			 2008-09 To consortium of British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK 500,000 
			  Terence Higgins Trust 1,700,000 
			  African HIV Policy Network 600,000 
			  Netmums 55,000 
			  ContinYou 25,000 
			 (1) Under section 64. 
		
	
	Records for consultants, professional training and other activities are not held centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to identify.

Health Services: Hertfordshire

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS  (a) health visitors,  (b) nursery nurses,  (c) support workers and  (d) midwives there were working in Hertfordshire in each year since 2006.

Ann Keen: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff and support to doctors and nursing staff in each specified organisation and each specified level as at 30 September each year 
			  Headcount 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			  East and North Hertfordshire primary care trust (PCT)
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 620 548 569 
			  of which:
			 Registered midwife 0 0 0 
			 Health visitor 122 103 107 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 359 311 295 
			  of which:
			 Nursery nurse 37 43 44 
			 Support worker 35 37 15 
			 
			  East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 2,069 1,971 2,133 
			  of which:
			 Registered midwife 204 224 226 
			 Health visitor 9 9 7 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 1,090 988 1,013 
			  of which:
			 Nursery nurse 1 1 0 
			 Support worker 84 83 84 
			 
			  West Hertfordshire PCT
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 566 642 636 
			  of which:
			 Registered midwife 0 0 0 
			 Health visitor 108 125 112 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 428 510 582 
			  of which:
			 Nursery nurse 3 10 14 
			 Support worker 3 104 44 
			 
			  West Hertfordshire NHS Trust
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 1,474 1,370 1,372 
			  of which:
			 Registered midwife 177 176 184 
			 Health visitor 0 0 0 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 945 867 878 
			  of which:
			 Nursery nurse 4 2 3 
			 Support worker 23 25 24 
			  Note: Midwives are generally not employed by PCTs. In 2008 only 1.8 per cent. of midwives in England were employed by PCTs.

Heart Disease

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people aged  (a) 18 years and over,  (b) 60 years and over and  (c) 85 years and over who were diagnosed with a heart condition in (i) England and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected routinely. Data are collected on the prevalence of heart disease through the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) for all ages (but it is not broken down into 18 years and older, 60 years and older and 85 years old and over).
	The number of cases (and percentage prevalence) is reported as follows through QOF for England and Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA). The data are only available from 2004.
	
		
			  Quality and Outcomes Framework, heart disease prevalent cases and percentage prevalence 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Coronary heart disease  
			  Prevalent cases (all ages)  
			 England 1,893,184 1,900,640 1,898,565 1,892,432 1,886,406 
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA 227,425 228,219 226,976 225,862 224,326 
			  Percentage Prevalence (all ages)  
			 England 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.5 
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 
			   
			  Heart Failure  
			  Prevalent cases (all ages)  
			 England - - 419,856 406,668 397,040 
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA - - 44,909 43,382 42,404 
			  Percentage Prevalence (all ages)  
			 England - - 0.8 0.8 0.7 
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA - - 0.8 0.8 0.8 
			   
			  Atrial Fibrillation  
			  Prevalent cases (all ages)  
			 England - - 692,054 701,157 732,508 
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA - - 71,749 73,006 76,067 
			  Percentage Prevalence (all ages)  
			 England - - 1.3 1.3 1.3 
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA - - 1.3 1.4 1.4 
			   
			  Left Ventricular Dysfunction (heart failure due to LVD)  
			  Prevalent cases (all ages)  
			 England 230,321 232,524 - - 210,557 
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA 26,973 27,290 - - 21,905 
			  Percentage Prevalence (all ages)  
			 England 0.4 0.4 - - 0.4 
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA 0.5 0.5 - - 0.4

Hospitals

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes each NHS Trust in England undertook under hospital resource group  (a) N12 antenatal admissions not related to delivery event,  (b) N03 neonates with one minor diagnosis,  (c) F06 diagnostic procedures oesophagus and stomach,  (d) F35 larger intestine endoscopic or intermediate procedures,  (e) N07 normal delivery without complications,  (f) C58 intermediate mouth or throat procedures,  (g) B13 phakoemulsification cataract extraction and insertion of lens,  (h) L21 bladder minor endoscopic procedure without complications and  (i) J37 minor skin procedures-category 1 without complications in 2008-09.

Ann Keen: The information has been placed in the Library.

Hospitals: Crimes of Violence

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the protection of hospital staff from attack.

Ann Keen: Each national health service body has a duty to address the risks to staff and ensure their safety. The NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) can assist employers through guidance on assessing risks and acting to protect staff from attacks and, where incidents do occur, on taking action against offenders.
	A new offence of causing nuisance or disturbance on hospital premises and a power to remove someone suspected of committing this offence were supported by the Department in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. The purpose of these measures is to remove those whose actions may escalate into violence and whose behaviour diverts staff from delivering care. Consultation on guidance on the use of the powers took place between May and August and commencement of these provisions is due later this year. The NHS SMS will provide free training for NHS staff who will use the power of removal.

Mentally Ill: Children

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of anti-psychotic drug prescriptions for children under 16 years old was in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: This information is not available. Data collected on prescriptions for children is insufficient to produce meaningful estimates for particular types of prescribing such as anti-psychotic drugs.

Mesothelioma

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have required treatment for mesothelioma in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The information on number of people who required treatment for mesothelioma is not held centrally. Requested information on count of finished consultant episodes, where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma is provided in the following table for England, South Tyneside Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the relevant strategic health authorities (SHAs). It should be noted that Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA and County Durham and Tees Valley SHA combined to form the North East SHA in 2006-07. This information is not centrally held for the United Kingdom.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was Mesothelioma( 1)  for selected organisations national health service hospitals , England and activity performed in the Independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS 1997-98 to 2008-09 
			   England  North East Strategic Health Authority  South Tyneside PCT as PCT of residence 
			 2008-09 7,349 708 104 
			 2007-08 6,968 735 77 
			 2006-07 6,677 735 69 
		
	
	
		
			   England  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA as SHA of residence  County Durham and Tees Valley SHA as SHA of residence  South Tyneside PCT as PCT of residence 
			 2005-06 6,436 316 303 40 
			 2004-05 5,671 348 242 28 
			 2003-04 5,697 443 230 56 
			 2002-03 4,685 267 173 53 
			 2001-02 4,663 321 129 59 
			 2000-01 4,442 315 122 57 
			 1999-2000 4,155 401 121 58 
			 1998-99 3,773 373 98 39 
			 1997-98 3,075 186 69 11 
			  Notes: 1. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE)-An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. It should be noted that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 2. Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)-The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) dataset and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. (1)The ICD-10 codes used in this analysis were as follows: C45 Mesothelioma; D19 Benign neoplasm of mesothelial tissue 3. Assessing growth through time-HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. 4. PCT and SHA Data Quality-PCT and SHA data were added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of Treatment and SHA of Treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data. 5. Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA and County Durham and Tees Valley SHA combined to form the North East SHA in 2006-07.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

Methadone

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been admitted to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of methadone overdose in each of the last five years; and how many of those died following admission.

Gillian Merron: The information requested can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  These data include admissions in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Year( 6)  Finished admission episodes( 1)  Discharge episodes( 2)  Died in hospital( 3) 
			 2008-09 933 877 12 
			 2007-08 866 810 9 
			 2006-07 715 665 7 
			 2005-06 643 595 4 
			 2004-05 561 526 7 
			 (1) Finished admission episodes: A finished admission episode is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2)  Discharges: A discharge episode is the last episode during a hospital stay (a spell), where the patient is discharged from the hospital (this includes transfer to another hospital). Discharge episodes have been included as it is here that 'died in hospital' events are recorded. For a small proportion of hospital stays the diagnosis on admission may not be present on the discharge episode hence the difference in counts between admission and discharge episodes. (3)  Deaths: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data cannot be used to determine the cause of death of a patient while in hospital. Deaths recorded on the HES database may be analysed by the main diagnosis for which the patient was being treated during their stay in hospital, which may not necessarily be the underlying cause of death. For example, a patient admitted for a hernia operation (with a primary diagnosis of hernia) may die from an unrelated heart attack. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on the cause of death, wherever it occurs, based on the death certificate and should be the source of data for analyses on cause of death. (4)  Primary Diagnosis: The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. (5)  Secondary Diagnosis: As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 19 (13 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and six prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. (6) Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

NHS: Disciplinary Proceedings

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on  (a) the number of clinicians suspended from their posts and  (b) the cost to trusts of such suspensions.

Ann Keen: There were 154 active suspensions and exclusions at the end of 2008-09. The end-of-year numbers fluctuate without a clear upward or downward trend. It is not possible to estimate the current cost of such suspensions. In 2003, the National Audit Office (NAO) estimated that hospital and community doctor exclusions cost an average of £188,000, over an average period of 47 weeks. The NAO's hospital and community weekly cost estimate was therefore £4,000 at 2001-02 prices. This was a one-off survey involving analysis of 206 doctor exclusions in the hospital and community sector.

NHS: Repairs and Maintenance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) actual and  (b) risk-adjusted backlog maintenance was for each NHS trust in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09.

Ann Keen: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	National health service organisations are responsible for the provision and maintenance of facilities to support the delivery of high quality clinical services. Therefore, the NHS will locally prioritise investment to reduce backlog maintenance based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. The majority of backlog maintenance relates to low priority work, which trusts will undertake through maintenance programmes. Where higher risks are present, work will be undertaken as a priority. While levels of backlog maintenance vary across the NHS, it is estimated that around 75 per cent. of the total costs to eradicate backlog maintenance is concentrated in 20 per cent. of organisations.
	The Department collects data on backlog maintenance and risk adjusted backlog maintenance annually from NHS trusts through its Estates Returns Information Collection. The data provided are not amended centrally and the responsibility for its accuracy lies with the contributing NHS organisations.

NHS: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted derogations from the provisions of the European Working Time Directive.

Ann Keen: The National Scrutiny Panel for England considered applications from 77 trusts and recommended 273 service rotas for derogation.

NHS: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent in each category on ensuring that NHS trusts comply with the provisions of the European Working Time Directive.

Ann Keen: A total of £310 million has been made available to support compliance with the European working time directive.

NHS: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has given to each NHS trust for the purposes of assisting with compliance with the provisions of the European Working Time Directive.

Ann Keen: These data are not collected centrally.
	A total of £310 million was made available to support the implementation of the working time directive for junior doctors.
	In 2009-10, £200 million was made available in primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations to support working time directive implementation, in addition to the £110 million that was made available in 2008-09.
	£150 million of the £200 million was made explicit in the 2009-10 tariff uplift.
	Strategic health authorities (SHAs) have been able to target a further £50 million to support change and expansion in paediatrics, obstetrics and anaesthetics.
	SHAs have made the criteria clear to PCTs and trust boards of the availability of funding.

Nutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the potential savings to the NHS  (a) nationally and  (b) in each primary care trust of full implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's February 2006 guidance on nutrition support in adults.

Gillian Merron: The information requested is not held centrally.

Obesity: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to the provision of child weight management programmes in 2009-10.

Gillian Merron: In 2009-10, the Department allocated £69 million to primary care trusts (PCTs), as part of their overall PCT allocations, to support our obesity strategy. This includes funding for child weight management services.

Obesity: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of  (a) overweight and  (b) obese children are participating in child weight management programmes in each primary care trust area.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not hold information on the number of children who have been referred to a child weight management programme. It is up to primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission these programmes according to their local needs.
	PCTs are encouraged to evaluate their programmes with the standard evaluation framework provided by the National Obesity Observatory, and we are in the process of developing systems to help PCTs to monitor the number of children being referred to a weight management programme.

Orthopaedics

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) full and  (b) partial limb amputations were carried out in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The following table gives information on finished consultant episodes where a main or secondary procedure of amputation of the limb was carried out in the last five years.
	However, we are unable to divide the data into partial or full amputation as there is a risk of double counting. For instance, there are occasions when a person could have more than one amputation during an episode of care, for example, initially it might be intended for the patient to have a 'partial limb amputation' which may proceed to a 'full limb amputation.'
	
		
			  A count of finished consultant episodes( 1)  where a main or secondary procedure( 2)  of amputation of the limb( 3)  was carried out, 2004-05 to 2008-09- Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Operation description  Operation code  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Amputation of arm   
			 Forequarter amputation X07.1 8 10 20 20 12 
			 Disarticulation of shoulder X07.2 8 7 10 6 18 
			 Amputation of arm above elbow X07.3 57 56 64 59 58 
			 Amputation of arm through forearm X07.5 29 27 29 23 26 
			 Other specified amputation of arm X07.8 2 3 1 3 4 
			 Unspecified amputation of arm X07.9 2 5 5 6 4 
			  Amputation of leg   
			 Hindquarter amputation X09.1 24 21 29 27 30 
			 Disarticulation of hip X09.2 49 39 51 49 37 
			 Amputation of leg above knee X09.3 2,805 2,782 2,653 2,755 2,767 
			 Amputation of leg through knee X09.4 145 156 167 184 199 
			 Amputation of leg below knee X09.5 2,760 2,651 2,492 2,596 2,753 
			 Other specified amputation of leg X09.8 11 8 8 6 4 
			 Unspecified amputation of leg X09.9 8 8 6 7 8 
			  Amputation of hand, foot and toe   
			 Amputation of hand at wrist X08.1 5 8 7 8 13 
			 Amputation of thumb X08.2 207 238 247 283 266 
			 Amputation of phalanx of finger X08.3 1,699 1,601 1,703 1,710 1,745 
			 Amputation of finger nec X08.4 1,546 1,611 1,720 1,803 1,713 
			 Other specified amputation of hand X08.8 49 52 43 49 42 
			 Unspecified amputation of hand X08.9 7 10 1 5 4 
			 Amputation of foot through ankle X10.1 40 40 31 46 45 
			 Disarticulation of tarsal bones X10.2 11 10 8 5 10 
			 [disarticulation of metatarsal bones X10.3 49 55 52 49 56 
			 Amputation through metatarsal bones X10.4 627 626 574 660 736 
			 Other specified amputation of foot X10.8 94 93 86 71 79 
			 Unspecified amputation of foot X10.9 43 50 31 46 51 
			 Amputation of great toe X11.1 1,354 1,326 1,320 1,395 1,586 
			 Amputation of phalanx of toe X11.2 1,467 1,432 1,560 1,544 1,638 
			 Other specified amputation of toe X11.8 1,571 1,472 1,526 1,519 1,564 
			 Unspecified amputation of toe X11.9 1,712 1,851 1,729 1,844 1,943 
			  Reamputation   
			 Reamputation at higher level X12.1 387 388 397 416 501 
			 (1) Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. It should be noted that the figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2) Number of episodes with a (named) main or secondary procedure These figures represent the number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) operative procedure fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one operative procedure field of the record. It should be noted that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients under going a 'cataract operation' would tend to have at least two procedures-removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one-counted in a single episode. (3) Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). (4) Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. (5) Changes to coding classifications: OPCS-4 Operative procedure codes were revised for 2006-07 and 2007-08. The 2008-09 and 2007-08 data uses OPCS 4.4 codes, 2006-07 data use OPCS 4.3 codes, data prior to 2006-07 uses OPCS 4.2 codes. All codes that were in OPCS 4.2 remain in later OPCS 4 versions, however the introduction of OPCS 4.3 codes enable the recording of interventions and procedures which were not possible in OPCS 4.2. In particular, OPCS 4.3 and OPCS 4.4 codes include high cost drugs and diagnostic imaging, testing and rehabilitation. Some activity may have been coded under different codes in OPCS 4.2. These changes need to be borne in mind when analysing time series and may explain some apparent variations over time. Please note that care needs to be taken in using the newer codes as some providers of data were unable to start using the new codes at the beginning of each data year. More information about OPCS 4 changes is on the Connecting for Health website: www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk (6) Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. (7) The following codes were used for amputation of limb:  Amputation of arm X07.1 Forequarter amputation X07.2 Disarticulation of shoulder X07.3 Amputation of arm above elbow X07.4 Amputation of arm through elbow X07.5 Amputation of arm through forearm X07.8 Other specified amputation of arm X07.9 Unspecified amputation of arm  Amputation of leg X09.1 Hindquarter amputation X09.2 Disarticulation of hip X09.3 Amputation of leg above knee X09.4 Amputation of leg through knee X09.5 Amputation of leg below knee X09.8 Other specified amputation of leg X09.9 Unspecified amputation of leg  Amputation of hand, foot and toe X08.1 Amputation of hand at wrist X08.2 Amputation of thumb X08.3 Amputation of phalanx of finger X08.4 Amputation of finger NEC X08.8 Other specified amputation of hand X08.9 Unspecified amputation of hand X10.1 Amputation of foot through ankle X10.2 Disarticulation of tarsal bones X10.3 Disarticulation of metatarsal bones X10.4 Amputation through metatarsal bones X10.8 Other specified amputation of foot X10.9 Unspecified amputation of foot X11.1 Amputation of great toe X11.2 Amputation of phalanx of toe X11.8 Other specified amputation of toe X11.9 Unspecified amputation of toe  The following code may apply to any site, and is not restricted to arm, leg, hand, foot, finger, or toe: X12.1 Reamputation at higher level  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES); Outpatients, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Smoking

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance with smoking cessation his Department makes available to prisoners.

Gillian Merron: National health service primary care trusts have had responsibility for the provision of healthcare services in publicly run prisons from 2006. Nicotine Replacement Therapy and professional NHS Stop Smoking Services support are now available to prisoners who want to give up smoking, on a basis broadly equivalent to that in the outside community.
	Last year (2008-09), nearly 10,000 prisoners (9,907) set a quit date with NHS Stop Smoking Services provided to them in prison. These services follow the standard effective service provision, including medication, which is guided by the annual NHS Stop Smoking Services: Service and Monitoring Guidance produced by the Department. The most recent guidance has been placed in the Library.

Social Services: Elderly

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the adequacy of arrangements for the provision of social care for older persons on their discharge from hospital.

Phil Hope: We have made no recent assessment of the adequacy of arrangements for the provision of social care for older people on discharge from hospital.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has a responsibility to assess how well adult social care departments at councils have commissioned services for the people in their areas. This will be done through periodic reviews of their performance.
	In addition to the CQC's own assessment regime, Comprehensive Area Assessments will provide an overview of how successfully local organisations are working individually and together to improve services in their area.
	Furthermore, the Department recently published the document 'Use of Resources in Adult Social Care' to help local authorities to benchmark against other authorities on a range of measures, including examining the outcomes for the older people from the local arrangements between health and social care for hospital discharges. The guide promotes best practice. Finally, the Department is also focusing its resources on the prevention and early intervention to avoid older people entering hospital and retaining a healthy and independent life.

Swine Flu: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) the London Borough of Bexley and  (b) Greater London have been diagnosed with swine influenza.

Gillian Merron: Estimates of the numbers of people who have had swine flu are only available for the whole population. Therefore the Department does not have estimates of the number of people who have been diagnosed with swine flu in Bexley or Greater London.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of all documents held by his Department relating to the decisions on priority access groups for the swine influenza vaccine.

Gillian Merron: Copies of relevant meeting minutes from the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about their advice on the high priority at risk groups for swine flu vaccination have been placed in the Library. JCVI is the statutory body with responsibility for providing Ministers with advice about vaccination programmes.
	These minutes are also displayed on JCVI's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/ab/jcvi/index.htm

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Coastal Areas: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent employees had responsibility for the  (a) Seaside and Country Homes scheme and  (b) housingmoves.org website in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: Since July 2007 the Department has employed eight full-time equivalent (FTE) employees responsible for the delivery of  (a) the Seaside and Country Homes scheme and 0.05 FTE for  (b) the housingmoves.org website.
	To enable these high value and high demand moves the staff provide:
	A brokering service to match registered applicants with suitable homes as they become available
	a 'drop-in' service for older and often vulnerable applicants where they can meet with an adviser face to face to assist with enquiries, housing options and applications
	a telephone helpline for applicants to advise on housing options; the progress of applications; and the availability of alternative accommodation
	marketing for the scheme to increase landlord and tenant participation including the identification and use of hard to let social stock (such as sheltered housing)
	Each move results in a net saving to Treasury of about £12,000 (or £2.4 million for 200 moves each year-based on a 2004 departmental economic study) based on savings: in the cost of temporary accommodation; in the cost of managing empty properties; and the costs of housing benefit payments
	In addition the staff provides the housing brokerage service for vulnerable British Nationals returning under the Zimbabwe Resettlement programme.

Coastal Areas: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on the Seaside and Country Homes scheme under each budgetary heading in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The Department has spent the following amount on the Seaside and Country Homes scheme:
	
		
			   July 2007-March 2008  April 2008-March 2009  April-October 2009 
			 Staff costs 260,200 317,169 162,685 
			 Grant to non-LA bodies 115,730 0 0 
			 IT/Facilities management (incl. utilities and services) 289,027 550,345 352,082 
			 Travel and subsistence 733 7,592 3,445 
			 Insurance 1,885 1,647 0 
			 Marketing and publishing 14,265 44,483 29,027 
			 Council tax 36,051 36,050 33,465 
			 Rent and service charge 240,136 167,867 90,502 
			 Total expenditure on the Seaside and Country Homes scheme 958,027 1,125,153 671,206 
			  Notes: 1. The housingmoves website went on-line in July 2007. 2. Data for October 2009 are current up to and including 27 October 2009 
		
	
	The resource investment supports the delivery of high demand social mobility schemes. The Department (Secretary of State) has nomination rights to specific properties under the Seaside and Country Homes scheme. The service employs staff in discrete premises (until the lease expires in February 2011) providing: a front line delivery service; a telephone help line; an informative website with on-line registration and an accessible 'drop in centre' for older and often vulnerable applicants. The service also provides the housing brokerage service for vulnerable British Nationals returning under the Zimbabwe Resettlement programme.
	There are between 170-250 moves arranged per year that enable London based applicants to give up their social letting in the capital and move to more appropriate properties in preferred locations. Each move results in a net saving to Treasury of about £12,000 (or £2.4 million for 200 moves each year-based on a 2004 departmental economic study) based on savings: in the cost of temporary accommodation; in the cost of managing empty properties; and the costs of housing benefit payments.

Coastal Areas: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants applied for alternative accommodation under the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The number of tenants applying to move to alternative accommodation through the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  From  To  Number 
			 July 2007(1) March 2008 349 
			 April 2008 March 2009 805 
			 April 2009 October 2009(2) 475 
			 (1) The housingmoves website went online in July 2007. (2) Data for October 2009 are current up to and including 27 October 2009. 
		
	
	Each move results in a net saving to Treasury of about £12,000 (or £2.4 million for 200 moves each year-based on a 2004 departmental economic study) based on savings: in the cost of temporary accommodation; in the cost of managing empty properties; and the costs of housing benefit payments.
	To enable these high value and high demand moves, the staff provide:
	A brokering service to match registered applicants with suitable homes as they become available.
	A 'drop-in' service for older and often vulnerable applicants where they can meet with an adviser face to face to assist with inquiries, housing options and applications.
	A telephone helpline for applicants to advise on housing options; the progress of applications; and the availability of alternative accommodation.
	Marketing for the scheme to increase landlord and tenant participation including the identification and use of hard to let social stock (such as sheltered housing).
	In addition, the staff provide the housing brokerage service for vulnerable British nationals returning under the Zimbabwe Resettlement Programme.

Coastal Areas: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants moved from each local authority area under the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The number of tenants moved from each local authority (London borough) under the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  London  b orough  2009- 1 0  2008-09  2007-08 
			 Barking and Dagenham 5 6 17 
			 Barnet 0 3 1 
			 Bexley 3 6 2 
			 Brent 0 0 0 
			 Bromley 2 8 3 
			 Camden 1 3 3 
			 City of London 0 0 1 
			 Croydon 5 6 4 
			 Ealing 3 5 5 
			 Enfield 2 3 3 
			 Greenwich 14 23 12 
			 Hackney 3 18 7 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 5 4 
			 Haringey 3 5 9 
			 Harrow 2 3 1 
			 Havering 0 5 1 
			 Hillingdon 0 2 7 
			 Hounslow 4 18 2 
			 Islington 3 8 8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 0 1 
			 Kingston 1 3 1 
			 Lambeth 3 5 6 
			 Lewisham 7 12 6 
			 Merton 1 1 3 
			 Newham 10 16 12 
			 Redbridge 2 5 3 
			 Richmond 1 4 3 
			 Southwark 10 10 23 
			 Sutton 4 6 4 
			 Tower Hamlets 5 10 7 
			 Waltham Forest 2 13 10 
			 Wandsworth 5 4 7 
			 Westminster 1 3 3 
			 Total 105 219 179 
			  Notes:  1. The housingmoves website went on-line in July 2007. 2. Data for October 2009 are current up to and including 27 October 2009. 
		
	
	Each move results in a net saving to Treasury of about £12,000 (or £2.4 million for 200 moves each year-based on a 2004 Departmental economic study) based on savings: in the cost of temporary accommodation; in the cost of managing empty properties; and the costs of housing benefit payments.
	To enable these high value and high demand moves the staff provide:
	A brokering service to match registered applicants with suitable homes as they become available
	a 'drop-in' service for older and often vulnerable applicants where they can meet with an adviser face to face to assist with enquiries, housing options and applications
	a telephone helpline for applicants to advise on housing options; the progress of applications; and the availability of alternative accommodation
	marketing for the scheme to increase landlord and tenant participation including the identification and use of hard to let social stock (such as sheltered housing).
	In addition the staff provide the housing brokerage service for vulnerable British Nationals returning under the Zimbabwe Resettlement Programme.

Coastal Areas: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants moved to alternative accommodation through the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The number of tenants moving to alternative accommodation through the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  From  To  Number 
			 July 2007(1) March 2008 179 
			 April 2008 March 2009 219 
			 April 2009 October 2009(2) 105 
			 (1) The housingmoves website went online in July 2007. (2) Data for October 2009 are current up to and including 27 October 2009. 
		
	
	Each move results in a net saving to Treasury of about £12,000 (or £2.4 million for 200 moves each year-based on a 2004 departmental economic study) based on savings: in the cost of temporary accommodation; in the cost of managing empty properties; and the costs of housing benefit payments.
	To enable these high value and high demand moves, the staff provide:
	A brokering service to match registered applicants with suitable homes as they become available.
	A 'drop-in' service for older and often vulnerable applicants where they can meet with an adviser face to face to assist with inquiries, housing options and applications.
	A telephone helpline for applicants to advise on housing options; the progress of applications; and the availability of alternative accommodation.
	Marketing for the scheme to increase landlord and tenant participation including the identification and use of hard to let social stock (such as sheltered housing).
	In addition, the staff provide the housing brokerage service for vulnerable British nationals returning under the Zimbabwe Resettlement Programme.

Coastal Areas: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) bungalows and  (b) flats are managed by landlords taking part in the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme.

Ian Austin: There are 2,302 bungalows and 1,060 flats managed by landlords taking part in the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme.
	There are between 170 to 250 moves arranged per year that enable London-based applicants to give up their social letting in the capital and move to more appropriate properties in preferred locations. Each move results in a net saving to Treasury of about £12,000 (or £2.4 million for 200 moves each year-based on a 2004 departmental economic study) based on savings: in the cost of temporary accommodation; in the cost of managing empty properties; and the costs of housing benefit payments.
	To enable these high value and high demand moves, the staff provide:
	A brokering service to match registered applicants with suitable homes as they become available.
	A 'drop-in' service for older and often vulnerable applicants where they can meet with an adviser face to face to assist with inquiries, housing options and applications.
	A telephone helpline for applicants to advise on housing options; the progress of applications; and the availability of alternative accommodation.
	Marketing for the scheme to increase landlord and tenant participation including the identification and use of hard to let social stock (such as sheltered housing).
	In addition, the staff provide the housing brokerage service for vulnerable British nationals returning under the Zimbabwe Resettlement Programme.

Community Development: Doncaster

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many community wardens were in post in Doncaster  (a) at the most recent date for which figures are available and  (b) in each year since their introduction.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is as follows.
	 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council - Community Wardens
	The following table shows the number of community wardens that have been in post from April 2004 until September 2009. Doncaster has had Neighbourhood Wardens since 2001-02 but was unable to supply figures until 2004.
	
		
			   Community Safety Wardens  Community First Officers  Neighbourhood Response Team 
			 4 April 50 34 n/a 
			 7 February 48 33 10 
			 9 September 53 35 10

Community Development: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his announcement of the £12 million Connecting Communities Programme on 14 October 2009, how much money has been allocated to each of the 27 areas announced to date; which local groups will receive funding for which projects in each area; and how the effectiveness of funding in each case will be assessed.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 9 November 2009
	No funding has yet been allocated.
	We are in the process of agreeing action plans with each of the 27 areas, and these are based on addressing local challenges. The plans, and the amount of funding, will vary from area to area, as will the local partners and groups involved in delivering the solutions. Although there is a modest amount of additional resources available, the main focus will be on working through and with existing Government and local programmes and resources operating in target areas. This is about intensive community engagement to influence mainstream investment, not a stand alone programme.
	In line with the Government commitment to reduce ring-fencing each authority will have the flexibility to manage this additional funding in the most effective way to deliver solutions that meet local needs.
	We are also considering proposals for a national evaluation of the programme.

Community Development: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his announcement of the £12 million Connecting Communities Programme on 14 October 2009, how much of the £12 million represents additional funding; what proportion of this funding will be spent in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 9 November 2009
	The £12 million is available this financial year to local authorities to support activities in the Connecting Communities' areas. This money was announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement but has not been previously allocated.
	Connecting Communities is an ambitious programme of work to reinvigorate and re-involve groups in areas that are feeling the pressure of the recession most acutely. Around 100 areas around the country have been identified for a targeted programme of work that will focus on alleviating those pressures and making sure that real help is available. Practical actions delivered on estates and streets will focus on developing a real insight into what is happening in those communities and introduce changes that will address local people's concerns, reconnect them with jobs and tackle the real and perceived sense of unfairness some people are feeling.

Council Housing: Finance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the possible addition of future estimated surpluses on the housing revenue account subsidy to the council house capital debt considered for distribution to local authorities for repayment;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total debt to be distributed among local authorities in order for local authority-owned housing to be self-financing;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the debt additional to historic council housing debt which is to be distributed among local authorities in order for local authority housing to be self-financing.

Ian Austin: Our proposals for self-financing would put every local authority in a position to sustain their homes from their own revenues in future, ending the need to redistribute income by means of a one-off reallocation of housing debt. Our consultation paper notes that the total amount of housing debt held by councils under self-financing could be higher or lower than the current level of debt supported through the HRA subsidy system. The debt allocated to each council would be set at a level which it could support within a sustainable business plan which delivers the extra investment we have identified is needed (including an average 24 per cent. increase in funding for major repairs) while continuing to set social rents in line with national policy.
	The aggregate amount of housing debt allocated under self-financing will depend on a range of variables in addition to assumptions on annual management, maintenance and repairs. These include rent levels, interest rates, the pricing of risk and the funding of the backlog of repairs. As work on assessing these issues has not yet been completed, I am not in a position to estimate the amount of debt under the new system and Ministers have not had discussions on this issue with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I am however clear that the additional spending on management, maintenance and major repairs which we have committed to fund as part of our reforms will mean that all councils are better off under self-financing than they would be if the current system continued unreformed.

Departmental Consultants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the  (a) Homes and Communities Agency,  (b) Tenant Services Authority and  (c) Homes and Communities Agency Academy have spent on public affairs consultancy in 2009-10; and what the budget of each for such services is for 2009-10.

John Healey: The HCA and HCA Academy have spent no money on public affairs consultancy in the year to date. The TSA have spent £5,081.86 (including VAT) to date. None of these bodies have plans for any further expenditure on public affairs consultancy this year.

Departmental Data Protection

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 29 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, what the  (a) nature and  (b) subject was of each sensitive official document on the computer stolen from the then Secretary of State.

Barbara Follett: The documents mainly consisted of the details of the times, venues and attendees at meetings which the Secretary of State was due to hold: in many cases, the information was historic. In addition, some internal policy documents classified as Restricted and some contact details for officials were held on the computer. A number of these policy documents were also historic and the information they contained was out-of-date and consequently, no longer sensitive. The computer also contained a presentation on the housing market which, in March 2008, had been regarded as confidential in the general sense but which was also out-of-date.
	These documents were individually reviewed by officials in the Department immediately after the theft of the computer was reported. They concluded that none of the material included sensitive personal data about the public that would be of use to criminals. The computer was password protected and did not contain any material with the official classifications of Confidential, Secret or Top Secret.

Departmental ICT

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with which organisations his Department has had exclusivity agreements relating to information technology  (a) hardware and  (b) software in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 9 November  2009
	The Department has had no exclusivity agreements relating to information technology  (a) hardware and  (b) software in the last five years.

Departmental Non-Domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the rateable value of each of his Department's buildings was on the most recent date for which figures are available based on  (a) the 2005 Rating List and  (b) the draft 2010 Rating List.

Barbara Follett: The rateable values for the Department for Communities and Local Government's Headquarter buildings are listed on the Valuation Office Agency's website at:
	www.voa.gov.uk
	
		
			  £ 
			   2005  2010 
			 Eland House, Victoria, London 6,850,000 11,380,000 
			 Ground, 1(st) and 2(nd) floor Hempstead House, Hemel Hempstead 229,500 224,500 
			 2 Victoria St, Glossop 6,400 6,800 
			 1(st) Floor 232-242 Vauxhall Bridge Rd London 69,000 130,000 
			 Fire Experimental Unit Moreton in Marsh 45,000 56,000 
			 1(st) Floor Sheffield House Stevenage 37,250 45,250

Departmental Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many miles  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department and its predecessors travelled by (i) car, (ii) rail and (iii) air on Government business in each year since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The travel undertaken by the Department for Communities and Local Government's Ministers and officials is set out as follows (in miles):
	
		
			   Car  Rail  Air 
			 2005-06 1,010,302 n/k n/k 
			 2006-07 861,883 n/k 628,388 
			 2007-08 698,705 2,181,945 591,505 
			 2008-09 604,352 2,016,063 736,723 
			  Notes: 1. Accurate data are not available prior to 2005-06. 2. These data cover central CLG only and do not include the Government office network or Executive agencies 
		
	
	Travel undertaken by Ministers and officials is not routinely separated. However, of the data above, CLG recorded that its Ministers travelled 65,173 miles by car in 2007-08 and 76,638 miles in 2008-09.

Domestic Violence: Refuges

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether people accommodated in domestic violence refuges are assessed as statutorily homeless; and whether such people are included in his Department's homelessness statistics.

Ian Austin: Under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996), local housing authorities in England must consider all applications for accommodation or assistance in obtaining accommodation, including any applications made by people accommodated in refuges for people who have suffered domestic violence. The local authority must consider whether there is reason to believe the applicant may be homeless or likely to become homeless within 28 days, and, if there is such reason, must make inquiries to determine whether any duty is owed under the legislation. Earlier this year, the House of Lords ruled that, in most cases, a woman who has left her home because of domestic (or other) violence within it remains homeless even if she has found a temporary haven in a women's refuge.
	Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level. This includes the number of applicants accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (homeless acceptances) and, of these, the number accommodated temporarily in a women's refuge, at the end of each quarter.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent guidance his Department has issued on the design of waste collection services and facilities in new housing;
	(2)  with reference to his Department's publication, Code for Sustainable Homes: a step-change in sustainable home building practice, what guidelines his Department has issued on the minimum volume of space required for  (a) residential waste storage and  (b) recycling; and what assumptions are made in the guidelines on the size and number of household wheeled refuse containers that could fit into that space.

Ian Austin: The Government provide a requirement and guidance for the design of waste collection services and facilities in new housing, such as waste bins, in Part H6 of Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 2000, and in Category 5-Waste, of the Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code.)
	The requirement set out in Part H6 will be met if the solid waste storage is:
	designed and sited so as not to be prejudicial to health;
	of sufficient area having regard to the requirements of the waste collection authority for the number and size of receptacles under Sections 46 and 47 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990;
	sited so as to be accessible for use by people in the building and of ready access for removal to the collection point specified by the waste collection authority under Sections 4 and 47 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
	The Waste Category of the Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code) provides a mandatory requirement and guidance for the provision of storage space for residential waste and for recycling waste.
	The mandatory requirements within the Code Waste Category, is based around British Standard 5906 2005 (l00 litres for the first bedroom and then a further 70 1itres for each additional bedroom). The requirements in the Code will be met if:
	space is provided for storage of containers for separated waste, with a combined capacity of 0.25m(3) or in agreement with the waste collection authority;
	adequate external space is provided to accommodate a local authority recycling scheme offering containers equal to or greater than the above volume;
	all the containers are accessible to disabled people.

Empty Property: Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of council tax discount is applied to an empty dwelling which is  (a) furnished and  (b) unfurnished.

Barbara Follett: Local authorities have discretion to set the council tax discount  (a) on substantially furnished dwellings which are the not the taxpayer's sole or main residence at any point between 50 and 10 per cent. and  (b) on substantially unfurnished and unoccupied dwellings at any point between 50 and zero per cent., following a statutory period of exemption.

Fire Services: Industrial Health and Safety

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce a national regime for the enforcement of safe working procedures in the fire service.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	There is already a regime for the enforcement of safe working procedures in the fire services.
	The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires fire and rescue services, as with all employers, to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable the health and safety of their employees and others who may be affected by their work activities. This Act is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive who inspect fire and rescue services proactively and investigate significant incidents. Their inspections include examination of health and safety policies and procedures, provision of equipment and training of firefighters.

Homes and Communities Agency: Consultants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on which projects the Homes and Communities Agency has employed external consultants since its inception.

John Healey: The HCA are involved, both directly and indirectly, in numerous projects. The use of consultants by the HCA therefore on each individual project cannot be disaggregated except at disproportionate cost.

Housing Ombudsman

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints the Housing Ombudsman received from leaseholders in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The number of complaints received by the housing ombudsman from leaseholders in each of the last three years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Leaseholder  Number 
			 2006-07 173 
			 2007-08 256 
			 2008-09 232 
		
	
	The figures provided refer to the complaints received from leaseholders, they do not relate specifically to leasehold issues.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the net balance of the housing revenue account subsidy system in each year to 2019-20.

Ian Austin: The calculation of housing revenue account (HRA) subsidy relies on a number of factors which change from year to year, including stock disposals, and the level at which we set the local authority average guideline rent increase. Communities and Local Government has yet to go out to consultation on the guideline rent increase for 2010-11. We have not made, and currently could not make, any reliable long term estimates of HRA subsidy up to 2019-20.
	Following consultation, we are currently working on proposals for radical reform of local authority housing finance. Our intention is to dismantle the HRA subsidy system and replace it with a devolved system of responsibility and funding.

Housing: Prices

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the mean  (a) income and  (b) house price in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: Data on mean income by local authority for each of the last three years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Mean house prices by local authority area are available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table-585.xls

Housing: Sustainable Development

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing units have been fully assessed by his Department under the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been accredited to Level 6 under the Code for Sustainable Homes to date.

Ian Austin: Code level 6 is a zero carbon home with very high sustainability standards and is an incredibly high standard to build to. However, we now have a growing number of homes been built to this higher level of code.
	It takes between 18 months and two years to design and build a code home. The code came into operation in April 2007, but we did not start seeing homes built to the code standard until late 2008. The numbers of code homes are increasing every month. There are a total of 1,018 homes with code certificates spread across all code levels at post-construction stage (i.e. completed code homes), 5,630 at design stage and over 300,000 registered homes on over 3000 developments. Most of these homes are built to code level 3-which represents for energy a 25 per cent. improvement on the current Building Regulations and is a demanding building standard. Homes are funded to this level by the Homes and Communities Agency.
	There are two stages in the assessment process for the Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code). At design stage there have been 12 homes accredited at code level 6 and at post-construction stage there have been six homes accredited.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average cost incurred in addition to the cost of meeting the requirement of Building Regulations in meeting the requirements of each level of the Code of Sustainable Homes Code in respect of  (a) detached housing,  (b) end-of-terrace housing,  (c) low-rise flats and  (d) high-rise flats.

Ian Austin: Costs were published 21 July 2008 in Cost Analysis of the Code for Sustainable Homes: Final Report. No differentiation between high rise and low rise flats is available. The costs are estimates and are not definitive.

Housingmoves: Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) unique visitors and  (b) page impressions were received by the housingmoves.org website in each of the last 12 months.

Ian Austin: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Website Statistics: 'housingmoves' 
			  From  To  (a) Unique visitors  (b) Page impressions 
			 July 2007(1) March 2008 3,523 4,101 
			 April 2008 March 2009 14,309 21,866 
			 April 2009 October 2009(2) 11,453 23,100 
			 (1) The housingmoves website went on-line in July 2007. (2) Data for October 2009 are current up to and including 27 October 2009. 
		
	
	Each move results in a net saving to Treasury of about £12,000 (or £2.4 million for 200 moves each year-based on a 2004 Departmental economic study) based on savings: in the cost of temporary accommodation; in the cost of managing empty properties; and the costs of housing benefit payments.
	To enable these high value and high demand moves the staff provide:
	A brokering service to match registered applicants with suitable homes as they become available
	a 'drop-in' service for older and often vulnerable applicants where they can meet with an adviser face to face to assist with enquiries, housing options and applications
	a telephone helpline for applicants to advise on housing options; the progress of applications; and the availability of alternative accommodation
	marketing for the scheme to increase landlord and tenant participation including the identification and use of hard to let social stock (such as sheltered housing).
	In addition the staff provide the housing brokerage service for vulnerable British Nationals returning under the Zimbabwe Resettlement Programme.

Housingmoves: Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has provided for the housingmoves.org website in each of the last three years; what other sources of funding the service has; and how much has been allocated by his Department to the website for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Ian Austin: The Department has provided funding for the housingmoves.org website as detailed as follows. There are no other sources of funding.
	
		
			£ 
			  From  To  Website development 
			 July 2007(1) March 2008 700 
			 April 2008 March 2009 35,500 
			 April 2009 October 2009(2) 16,000 
			 (1) The housingmoves website went on-line in July 2007. (2) Data for October 2009 are current up to and including 27 October 2009. 
		
	
	The Department has also allocated funding for the website in 2009-10 of £5,000 and funding for 2010-11 has yet to be allocated.
	To enable these high value and high demand moves the staff provided:
	A brokering service to match registered applicants with suitable homes as they become available
	a 'drop-in' service for older and often vulnerable applicants where they can meet with an adviser face to face to assist with enquiries, housing options and applications
	a telephone helpline for applicants to advise on housing options; the progress of applications; and the availability of alternative accommodation
	marketing for the scheme to increase landlord and tenant participation including the identification and use of hard to let social stock (such as sheltered housing).
	In addition the staff provide the housing brokerage service for vulnerable British Nationals returning under the Zimbabwe Resettlement Programme.

Local Government: Pensions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authority pension funds in the East of England are  (a) in surplus and  (b) in deficit; and how much the surplus or deficit is in each case.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 964W, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles).

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of people who will be eligible for assistance under the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme in  (a) West Derbyshire and  (b) Britain in the next 12 months.

John Healey: Homeowners Mortgage Support is part of the range of assistance available at every stage to households struggling with their mortgage. The scheme encourages lenders to allow households who have suffered a temporary income shock to defer some of their interest payment, if this is necessary to make their monthly payment affordable. This form of support provides a safety net for those who cannot avoid repossession in other ways.
	Homeowners Mortgage Support is a lender led scheme and future take-up depends on a range of market factors, in particular the level of interest rates. The Department plans to publish information in December on the number of households who have been helped through Homeowners Mortgage Support. Statistics from the Financial Services Authority show that more than 135,000 borrowers were benefiting from forbearance offered by their lender at the end of June 2009, an increase of 17 per cent. on the previous quarter.

Non-Domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hereditaments in London will be liable for supplementary business rate in London from April 2010.

Barbara Follett: The Business Rate Supplements Act 2009 provides a discretionary power for upper tier authorities to levy a supplement on the business rate to promote additional local economic development projects. The levying authority has discretion to set the threshold for liability for the Business Rate Supplement anywhere above the minimum of £50,000 rateable value.
	The Mayor of London has just finished consulting on his proposals to levy a Business Rate Supplement from April 2010 as part of the funding package for Crossrail. The minimum threshold provided in legislation means that no more than 50,000 business properties in London on the draft 2010 rating list (18 per cent. of all London properties on that list) will be liable for BRS, with discretion for the Mayor to set a higher threshold exempting additional properties. The dataset used is consistent with the consultation document titled: The transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England, published on 8 July 2009. The number of hereditaments actually liable for the Business Rate Supplement in London will depend on the level at which the Mayor chooses to set the threshold.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individual hereditament  (a) betting shops and offices,  (b) bingo halls,  (c) public houses, licensed restaurants and wine bars,  (d) night clubs and discotheques and  (e) casinos and gambling clubs were on the 1997 version, or nearest equivalent, of the Valuation Office Agency's 1995 Rating List.

Barbara Follett: The following information relates to Rating Lists within England as at 1 April 1997.
	
		
			  Description  England 
			 Betting Offices (SCAT 988) 3,270 
			 Bingo Halls (SCAT 021) 650 
			 Public Houses (Primary Description Code CL) 49,520 
			 Restaurants (Primary Description Code CR) 17,970 
			 Wine Bars (Primary Description Code CL1) 850 
			 Night Clubs and Discotheques (SCAT 938) 1,050 
			 Casinos and Gambling Clubs (SCAT 042) 110 
			  Note: The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Non-Domestic Rates: Aerials

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has provided guidance to the Valuation Office Agency on the application of business rates to wireless masts.

Barbara Follett: The assessment of rateable value and the maintenance of rating lists is the responsibility of the Valuation Office Agency and not this Department. We do not provide guidance to the Valuation Office Agency on professional valuation issues. The Valuation Office Agency is an independent agency of HM Revenue and Customs and has sole responsibility for determining the rateable value of all non-domestic properties in England.

Non-Domestic Rates: Internet

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency takes into account  (a) wireless internet connections and  (b) wireless access points as a material consideration when rating a hereditament for the 2010 revaluation.

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to include access to wireless broadband networks in the assessment of business rates; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 5 November 2009
	 Rating assessments will reflect all service connections to the rental value of a hereditament (a unit of assessment for rating purposes), not just wireless internet connections and wireless access points. It is unlikely that a wireless access point will materially affect the value of an individual property for the current 2005 lists or for the 2010 revaluation.

Non-Domestic Rates: Parking

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many car parking spaces listed as domestic properties were exempt from the non-domestic rate under the Local Government Finance Act 1988 in  (a) East Devon constituency,  (b) Devon and  (c) England in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: All parking spaces used for domestic parking within the curtilage of dwellings are classed as domestic property and therefore exempt from non-domestic rates. Information on the numbers of such parking spaces is not available centrally.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many hereditaments were on the Valuation Office Agency's Rating List with SCAT Code 279 in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many hereditaments were on the Valuation Office Agency's Rating List with SCAT Code 123 in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many hereditaments were on the Valuation Office Agency's Rating List with SCAT code 049 in each year since 1997;
	(4)  how many hereditaments were on the Valuation Office Agency's Rating List with SCAT code 228 in each year since 1997;
	(5)  how many hereditaments were on the Valuation Office Agency's Rating List with SCAT code 429 in each year since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The available information requested is given in the following tables and relates to information contained in the:
	1995 Rating Lists-effective 1 April 1995 to 31 March 2000
	2000 Rating Lists-effective 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2005
	2005 Rating Lists-effective 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2010.
	Figures are not comparable across this period due to changes in the use of special category (SCAT) codes. In particular:
	SCAT Code 429 is effective from 1 April 2000.
	SCAT Codes 049, 123, 228 and 279 existed in the 1995 Rating Lists but for different classes of property than they represent in the 2000 and 2005 rating lists.
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		
			  Sports stadiums, England 
			  As at 1 April each year   Number 
			 1997  SCAT Code 279 50 
			 1998  50 
			 1999  50 
		
	
	
		
			  Theatres, England 
			  As at 1 April each year   Number 
			 2000  SCAT Code 279 580 
			 2001  600 
			 2002  600 
			 2003  610 
			 2004  650 
			 2005  620 
			 2006  640 
			 2007  650 
			 2008  670 
			 2009  670 
		
	
	
		
			  Private hospitals/clinics, England 
			  1 April each year   Number 
			 1997  SCAT Code 123 340 
			 1998  350 
			 1999  360 
		
	
	
		
			  Gypsy camp sites (short stay), England 
			  As at 1 April each year   Number 
			 2000  SCAT Code 123 (1)- 
			 2001  (1)- 
			 2002  (1)- 
			 2003  (1)- 
			 2004  (1)- 
			 2005  10 
			 2006  10 
			 2007  10 
			 2008  (1)- 
			 2009  (1)- 
			 (1) Less than 10. 
		
	
	
		
			  Cold stores, England 
			  As at 1 April each year   Number 
			 1997  SCAT Code 049 380 
			 1998  370 
			 1999  370 
		
	
	
		
			  Casinos and gambling clubs, England 
			  As at 1 April each year   Number 
			 2000  SCAT Code 049 110 
			 2001  110 
			 2002  120 
			 2003  120 
			 2004  150 
			 2005  130 
			 2006  140 
			 2007  150 
			 2008  160 
			 2009  160 
		
	
	
		
			  Public conveniences, England 
			  As at 1 April each year   Number 
			 1997  SCAT Code 228 5,610 
			 1998  5,530 
			 1999  5,430 
		
	
	
		
			  Public telephone kiosks, England 
			  As at 1 April each year   Number 
			 2000  SCAT Code 228 1,040 
			 2001  1,190 
			 2002  1,320 
			 2003  1,340 
			 2004  1,330 
			 2005  1,260 
			 2006  1,200 
			 2007  1,160 
			 2008  1,130 
			 2009  1,100 
		
	
	
		
			  Post offices,( 1)  England 
			  As at 1 April each year   Number 
			 2000  SCAT Code 429 1,410 
			 2001  1,500 
			 2002  1,660 
			 2003  1,820 
			 2004  1,820 
			 2005  3,530 
			 2006  3,420 
			 2007  3,400 
			 2008  3,370 
			 2009  3,240 
			 (1) Prior to 1 April 2005 some post offices were included under other SCAT codes.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hereditaments there are under each Valuation Office Agency  (a) 2005 Rating List and  (b) individual special category code and associated alphanumeric description on the draft 2010 Rating List.

Barbara Follett: I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the number of hereditaments for England broken down by the full alphanumeric special category code on both the 2005 Ratings List and the draft 2010 Ratings List at 29 May 2009. These data are consistent with the consultation document titled: The transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England, published on 8 July 2009. A copy of the consultation document is available at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/nndrrevaluation2010
	The number of hereditaments in each special category code has been rounded to the nearest 10.

Planning Applications Review

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to Recommendation 1 of the Killian Pretty Review of the planning application process of November 2008, how many and what proportion of  (a) minor non-residential and  (b) householder developments have been removed from the need to apply for full planning permission.

Ian Austin: Recommendation 1 of the Killian Pretty review was that Government should substantially reduce the number of minor non-domestic developments requiring planning permission. This recommendation made no reference to householder developments, which had already been subject to reforms, introduced in October 2008.
	In response to Recommendation 1, proposals to remove approximately 25,000 minor non-domestic developments from the need to submit full planning applications annually in England (approximately 30 per cent. of all minor non-domestic applications) were the subject of public consultation between 30 July and 23 October 2009. Subject to the outcome of our consideration of the consultation responses, secondary legislation enacting these proposals is expected in April 2010.

Planning Applications Review

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to Recommendation 15 of the Killian Pretty Review of the planning application process of November 2008, when his Department plans to replace the time-target based National Indicator with a Satisfaction with the planning application service indicator.

Ian Austin: A discussion document on a revised indicator of planning performance was included within the document Taking Forward the Government's response to the Killian Pretty Review: Progress Report, published in July 2009. The closing date for comments on this document has recently passed. We are in the process of commissioning research to develop options based on the consultation responses and to test them through a series of pilot studies January-March 2010.
	We propose to have a new indicator in place in time for the revision of the local authority performance framework, which will take effect from April 2011.

Planning Applications Review

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to Recommendation 5 of the Killian Pretty Review of the planning application process of November 2008, how many councils in England and Wales have participated in the National Process Improvement project.

Ian Austin: Four local planning authorities took part in the NPFP 'Transformational Planning' pathfinder pilot. The participating authorities were:
	East Riding of Yorkshire council
	Hambleton district council
	Leeds city council
	London borough of Lewisham
	The collated findings of the pilot are summarised in the report 'Transforming Local Planning Services: Using Business Process Techniques', which provides advice to help other local authorities use business process improvement techniques in their planning services. There was an initial programme of dissemination in December 2008.
	In line with the Government's response to Recommendation 5 of Killian Pretty, the Planning Advisory Service has commenced the next stage of dissemination by developing the 'Managing Excellent Planning Services' package. This has been well received, but is at an early stage.

Planning Applications Review

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to Recommendation 2 of the Killian Pretty Review of the planning application process of November 2008, what measures have been put in place to ensure that local planning authorities adopt a more proportionate approach to information requirements for design and access statements.

Ian Austin: In July 2009 we published a consultation paper 'Streamlining Information Requirements for Planning Applications' setting out proposals in response to Recommendation 2 of the Killian Pretty Review.
	The consultation document included two main changes in relation to design and access statements:
	to simplify the requirements for all design and access statements; and
	to reduce the range of applications that require a design and access statement
	The consultation period ended on 23 October and we are now in the process of analysing responses. Subject to the outcome of our consideration of consultation responses, secondary legislation enacting these proposals is expected in April 2010.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions he and his predecessors have personally intervened to set a date for an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: There is no known instance where any Secretary of State has ever directly intervened in imposing a date for an appeal.

Planning Permission: Asbestos

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the number of planning applications which have been approved in respect of sites previously contaminated with asbestos; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: The number of planning applications which have been approved in respect of sites previously contaminated with asbestos is not available centrally.

Right to Buy Scheme

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many right to buy sales there were in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1985,  (c) 1990,  (d) 1995,  (e) 2000 and  (f) each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what total of capital receipts was received by local authorities in each such year.

Ian Austin: Figures showing the number of local authority right to buy sales are included in Live Table 670 on the CLG website, broken down by region and year, from 1980-81:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1319866.xls
	Figures on capital receipts from local authority right to buy sales are included in Live Table 643, from 1998-99. Figures on capital receipts are not available for earlier years:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1319845.xls
	Figures showing the number of registered social landlord (RSL) right to buy sales are included in Live Table 675 on the CLG website, broken down by region and year, from 1996-97. Figures on sales of RSL properties are not available for earlier years, and figures are not available showing total RSL capital receipts:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1319878.xls
	The local authority right to buy data are from quarterly P1B returns from local authorities to CLG.
	The registered social landlord right to buy data are from Regulatory and Statistical Returns (RSR) from RSLs to the Tenant Services Authority (TSA).

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the turnover rate of tenancies held from  (a) registered social landlords and  (b) local authorities in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1198W.
	Local authority figures for 2008-09 are reported through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix, which will be published on 26 November, 2009.
	Registered social landlord figures for 2008-09 are collected by the Tenant Services Authority, reported through the Regulatory Statistical Return. The following table gives turnover rates by region for stock owned by registered social landlords (RSLs) in 2008-09. This covers general needs households only.
	
		
			  Number of general needs lettings as a percentage of general needs stock owned by registered social landlords, 2008-09, by region 
			  Region  Percentage 
			 North East 9.4 
			 North West 9.0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 11.3 
			 East Midlands 11.1 
			 West Midlands 10.4 
			 East of England 9.7 
			 London 9.1 
			 South East 8.7 
			 South West 9.6 
			 England 9.6 
			  Notes: 1. Stock figures are reported as at 31 March. 2. Lettings are recorded over the period 1 April to 31 March.  Source: Regulatory and Statistical Return, part O

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many transfers from one local authority area to another there have been by  (a) registered social landlord and  (b) local authority tenants in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: Information on transfers across local authority boundaries are available from the Continuous Recording of Lettings system (CORE).
	The number of lettings by registered social landlords to tenants transferring from a social housing dwelling in another local authority area are provided in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Lettings to registered social landlord tenants transferring from a social housing dwelling in another local authority area, 1997-98 to 2008-09, England 
			   Number of lettings 
			 1997-98 13,600 
			 1998-99 13,900 
			 1999-2000 13,700 
			 2000-01 13,300 
			 2001-02 13,300 
			 2002-03 14,900 
			 2003-04 14,100 
			 2004-05 14,400 
			 2005-06 13,200 
			 2006-07 11,800 
			 2007-08 12,100 
			 2008-09 13,000 
			  Notes: 1. Only registered social landlords with less than 250 stock are required to complete CORE. 2. Figures are reported from 1 April to 31 March.. 3. Mutual exchanges are not included. 4. Figures include lettings general needs and supported housing.  Source: Continuous Recording of Lettings 
		
	
	The number of lettings by local authorities to tenants transferring from a social housing dwelling in another local authority area are provided in Table 2. Figures for previous years are not available for local authorities. 2008-09 figures will be available in December/January.
	
		
			  Table 2: Lettings to local authority tenants transferring from a social housing dwelling in another local authority area, 2007-08, England 
			   Number of lettings 
			 2007-08 2,800 
			 1. Figures are reported from 1 April to 31March. 2. Mutual exchanges are not included. 3. Figures include lettings general needs and supported housing.  Source: Continuous Recording of Lettings, Cambridge weighted method 2007/08

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for City of York of 4 November 2009,  Official Report, column 1062W, on homelessness, on what date he expects to publish data on new lets for 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: Numbers of new lets are reported by local authorities annually, through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), covering the period 1 April to 31 March. Figures for 2008-09 will be published on 26 November 2009.

Social Rented Housing: Standards

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been transferred from the ALMO decent homes programme budget in order to fund new build in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 October 2009,  Official Report, column 776W.

Valuation Office: Buildings

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Valuation Office Agency made of the rateable value of its offices on Shaftesbury Avenue, London in  (a) the 2005 Ratings List and  (b) the latest provisional estimates for the draft 2010 Ratings List.

Barbara Follett: The 2005 list rateable values and the 2010 draft list rateable values for all properties in England and Wales are shown on the VOA website:
	www.voa.gov.uk

Wind Power: Market Harborough

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the scale of hazard presented by the erection of wind turbines in proximity to the high pressure gas distribution pipe line by HM Prison Gartree near Market Harborough.

Ian Austin: Where a planning authority is considering a planning application for wind turbines an assessment would be made by the planning authority as part of their determination of the planning application.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has provided to planning authorities considering applications to erect wind turbines on requirements not to introduce unacceptable hazards to local communities.

Ian Austin: We have set out a comprehensive framework of national planning policy and guidance on renewable energy which includes our Planning Policy Statements (PPS) on climate change and renewable energy. This is in addition to the body of guidance for planning authorities on handling planning applications that will also be relevant to proposals to erect wind turbines. The companion guide supporting the PPS on renewable energy provides detailed advice to planning authorities on the issues that might arise in considering applications for wind turbines including on matters relating to safety.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Offences against Children: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Solicitor-General whether guidance is provided to the Crown Prosecution Service on the relationship between viewing online child abuse images and child abuse.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publishes legal guidance for prosecutors on the prosecution of offences involving child abuse, and indecent images of children. I can confirm that the child abuse guidance makes reference to offences relating to indecent images of children. The guidance is available on the CPS's website:
	www.cps.gov.uk

Offences against Children: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Solicitor-General how much and what proportion of the budget of the Law Officers' Department for 2009-10 has been allocated to the prosecution of offences of viewing online images of child abuse; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: Although the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is able to identify the number of offences of possessing an indecent photograph of a child and of making an indecent photograph of a child which proceeded to a first hearing, it is not possible to identify from CPS sources how many of these offences related to online images and how many to images in other media.
	It is also not possible to assess how much the CPS spends on prosecuting offences of viewing online child abuse images generally.
	CPS areas are allocated budgets taking into account their overall caseload and other pressures. The budget allocation process does not seek to assess caseload at a detailed level in terms of individual offences.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Rules: Care homes

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will take steps to ensure that residents of care homes have regular access to benefits and pension advice from her Department.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 2 November 2009
	The Pension Disability and Carers Service operates Local Service, a visiting arm, working in local communities to support vulnerable customers who cannot access the Department's services through the other routes. Local Service provides face to face contact in a customer's home giving a holistic service which covers full benefit entitlement discussions and provides help with completion of benefit applications.
	To raise older people's awareness of what is available to them Local Service joins up a wide range of services by working in partnership with local authorities and voluntary organisations; increasingly through integrated teams. Through this local partnership working, these teams also provide benefit entitlement take-up activity and benefit advice information sessions within care and residential homes.

Crisis Loans

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of calls made to crisis loan application lines at each benefit delivery centre were answered in each of the last six months; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of calls made to crisis loan application lines which were answered after a wait of  (a) under one minute,  (b) between one and two minutes,  (c) between two and three minutes,  (d) between three and four minutes,  (e) between four and five minutes,  (f) between five and six minutes and  (g) over six minutes.

Helen Goodman: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked the acting chief executive to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many and what proportion of calls made to crisis loan application lines at each benefit delivery centre were answered in each of the last six months and how many and what proportion of calls made to crisis loan application lines were answered after a wait of  (a) under one minute,  (b) between one and two minutes,  (c) between two and three minutes,  (d) between three and four minutes,  (e) between four and five minutes,  (f) between five and six minutes and  (g) over six minutes. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The following tables provide information on the total number and proportion of calls to Crisis loan application lines answered at each Jobcentre Plus Benefit Delivery Centre and Contact Centre Directorate in each of the last six months.
	A breakdown of the total number and proportion of calls to Crisis Loan application lines answered within each time interval is not available.
	The average waiting time for Crisis Loan customers during the first 6 months of the operational year (since April 2009) was 11 minutes and 40 seconds. Average wait times have shown significant improvement in recent weeks, falling to under 6 minutes by the start of October 2009. During October, Jobcentre Plus has consistently answered over 80% of Crisis Loan calls offered and will continue to strive towards further improvements.
	
		
			  Annex A: Jobcentre Plus crisis loans telephony performance, by site, April to June 
			  Calls answered 
			   April  May  June 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 CCD Virtual Network 118,272 68.6 165,750 68.5 183,624 71.6 
			
			 Basildon BDC 4,396 83.3 5,969 77.7 5,742 80.7 
			 Bradford East BDC 2,621 75.2 3,894 77.2 3,912 77.3 
			 Bristol BDC 5,784 41.4 11,525 56.7 12,333 74.7 
			 Chesterfield Beetwell House JCP 2,956 82.7 4,237 82.9 3,106 77.5 
			 Chorlton BDC 3,029 73.4 3,626 72.2 2,980 69.7 
			 Glasgow Springburn BDC 8,865 77.5 10,360 71.8 8,957 73.9 
			 Inverness 4,864 79.2 7,014 72.9 6,418 73.1 
			 Liverpool Belle Vale 14,613 83.4 21,047 89.3 20,586 88.2 
			 Llanelli 2,242 69.8 2,679 66.4 2,636 64.7 
			 London SF (Ilford and Balham) 15,602 83.0 22,227 83.2 24,381 83.3 
			 Milton Keynes BDC 7,041 77.6 9,380 75.5 9,806 76.4 
			 Newcastle BDC 4,582 70.6 6,352 77.9 6,738 69.6 
			 Newport BDC 5,234 78.5 6,993 78.3 6,672 76.2 
			 Norwich BDC 4,016 79.6 5,684 81.7 5,507 80.8 
			 Nottingham BDC 2,791 79.4 2,939 70.1 2,372 65.7 
			 Perry Barr BDC 7,312 80.0 7,689 73.5 8,033 78.5 
			 Sheffield BDC 5,622 69.2 8,120 71.3 9,142 74.4 
			 Stockton BDC 2,720 70.5 3,728 67.3 3,657 66.7 
			 Sunderland BDC 3,988 84.5 4,997 80.7 5,102 79.6 
			
			 Jobcentre Plus total 226,550 71.6 314,210 71.8 331,704 74.2 
		
	
	
		
			  Annex B: Jobcentre Plus crisis loans telephony performance, by site, July to September 
			  Calls answered 
			   July  August  September 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 CCD Virtual Network 248,822 75.1 203,368 72.0 235,724 80.6 
			
			 Basildon BDC 4,896 71.7 4,964 83.1 4,560 82.5 
			 Bradford East BDC 4,429 78.6 3,042 79.0 2,822 79.9 
			 Bristol BDC 16,743 76.2 13,957 78.7 16,072 81.5 
			 Chesterfield Beetwell House JCP 4,188 81.9 2,588 80.1 2,531 85.4 
			 Chorlton BDC 5,339 77.6 4,509 79.5 3,563 78.6 
			 Glasgow Springburn BDC 14,219 82.1 13,502 85.5 14,514 82.5 
			 Inverness 8,102 69.9 6,533 65.8 6,075 67.7 
			 Liverpool Belle Vale 27,245 90.7 20,428 93.0 20,190 90.9 
			 Llanelli 2,651 66.2 2,270 71.3 2,062 69.8 
			 London SF (Ilford and Balham) 29,221 85.0 21,996 87.2 23,931 87.1 
			 Milton Keynes BDC 12,686 79.3 10,111 76.5 8,564 78.4 
			 Newcastle BDC 9,273 82.9 7,300 83.4 7,247 83.3 
			 Newport BDC 7,903 79.5 5,906 79.6 5,693 78.5 
			 Norwich BDC 6,344 78.8 4,724 77.0%5,174 81.5  
			 Nottingham BDC 2,776 67.6 2,126 65.7 1,981 87.8 
			 Perry Barr BDC 10,096 81.4 9,593 85.6 9,003 71.7 
			 Sheffield BDC 10,694 75.1 8,006 78.2 8,765 75.1 
			 Stockton BDC 4,742 67.8 5,037 81.6 5,711 82.8 
			 Sunderland BDC 5,760 82.0 5,380 84.4 7,246 84.0 
			
			 Jobcentre Plus total 436,129 77.2 355,340 76.0 391,425 81.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Annex C: Jobcentre Plus crisis loans telephony performance, by site, total for April to September 
			  Calls answered 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 CCD Virtual Network 1,155,560 73.3 
			
			 Basildon BDC 30,527 79.5 
			 Bradford East BDC 20,720 77.9 
			 Bristol BDC 76,414 69.3 
			 Chesterfield Beetwell House JCP 19,606 81.7 
			 Chorlton BDC 23,046 75.5 
			 Glasgow Springburn BDC 70,417 79.4 
			 Inverness 39,006 70.9 
			 Liverpool Belle Vale 124,109 89.5 
			 Llanelli 14,540 67.8 
			 London SF (Ilford and Balham) 137,358 84.9 
			 Milton Keynes BDC 57,588 77.3 
			 Newcastle BDC 41,492 78.3 
			 Newport BDC 38,401 78.4 
			 Norwich BDC 31,449 79.9 
			 Nottingham BDC 14,985 71.6 
			 Perry Barr BDC 51,726 78.4 
			 Sheffield BDC 50,349 74.1 
			 Stockton BDC 25,595 73.2 
			 Sunderland BDC 32,473 82.5 
			
			 Jobcentre Plus total 2,055,358 75.6 
			  Note: All figures represent crisis loans telephony performance between 20 April 2009, the first date for which comprehensive MI was available and 2 October 2009.

Departmental Air Travel

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many first class flights were taken by each Minister in her Department in 2008-09; and what the  (a) origin,  (b) destination and  (c) cost was of each such flight.

Jim Knight: There were no official first-class flights taken by DWP Ministers during 2008-09.
	DWP policy is that regardless of grade and length/duration of journey, first-class tickets should not be purchased.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in her Department in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested. Separate information on restaurant meals is not available. Such information as is available is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Total expenditure 
			  £ million 
			   Car hire  Rail  Air  Hotel 
			 2004-05 n/a 14.0 4.7 12.0 
			 2005-06 n/a 15.6 4.7 12.3 
			 2006-07 1.5 15.6 3.1 11.5 
			 2007-08 1.5 17.6 3.8 11.6 
			 2008-09 2.3 19.8 3.5 12.3 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Ministerial expenditure 
			  £ 
			   Car hire  Rail  Air  Hotel 
			 2007-08 0 17,530 30,115 1,631 
			 2008-09 0 21,426 32,947 1,936 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	Information is not available for Ministers prior to 2007-08.
	Expenditure relating to the use of the Government Car Service is not included in the figures quoted above. Information about the cost of ministerial cars is published each year in a written ministerial statement. The relevant information can be found at the following links:
	 2005-06 and 2006-07:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070726/wmstext/70726m0004.htm#07072644000046
	 2007-08:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080722/wmstext/80722m0008.htm#08072253000045
	 2008-09:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090716/wmstext/90716m0009.htm#09071651000059
	The figures provided should be read in the context of a Department of over 100,000 staff operating from over 1,000 locations across Great Britain.
	It is also worth noting that the increase in car hire expenditure has been more than offset by a reduction in 'grey fleet' mileage and expenditure. The reduction in such mileage from 2007-08 to 2008-09 was 8.8 million miles, representing a £3.6 million reduction in expenditure.
	Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Departmental Sick Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sick days have been taken by staff of her Department in each of the last five years; and what the cost of such absences was in each such year.

Jim Knight: The available information is in the following table. The figures reflect data currently recorded on the Department's personnel computer system.
	The Department has reduced the number of days sick leave taken by its staff to 8.5 days per staff year, resulting in a cut of sick pay as a proportion of total salary from 3 per cent. to 2 per cent. in three years.
	Further reducing sickness absence and its associated cost is a top priority for the Department.
	
		
			   Sick days taken by staff  Sick days as a percentage of working days available  Cost of absences (£ million) 
			 2008-09 849,448 3.95 59.8 
			 2007-08 1,052,557 4.48 75.1 
			 2006-07 1,256,157 4.39 90.5 
			 2005-06 1,335,694 4.25 n/a 
			 2004-05 1,702,691 5.05 n/a 
			  Notes: 1. The cost of absences shown is the total amount of salary paid during periods of sick leave. 2. Cost data for 2004-05 and 2005-06 were not available centrally and could be calculated only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions spent the following amounts on overnight accommodation for staff while overseas in each of the last three years:
	
		
			   Hotel (£) 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 83,263 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 112,427 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 166,821 
		
	
	The information for Ministers is not available in the format requested.
	Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively and the Cabinet Office provides the annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list was published on 16 July and can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Disadvantaged: Merkinch

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Highland ward of Merkinch received from the deprived areas funding 2008-09; and how much it is expected to receive in 2009-10.

Jim Knight: For the period 2008-09, the Highland ward of Merkinch received £24,000 of deprived areas funding. For the period 2009-10, negotiations are ongoing with a provider and as yet no money has been allocated.

Fuel Poverty

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of households have been living in fuel poverty in  (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (b) England in each year since 1997.

David Kidney: I have been asked to reply.
	The most recently available fuel poverty statistics relate to 2007.
	Regional data are available from 2003 only. The following table shows the figures for Yorkshire and the Humber region:
	
		
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 
			   Number of fuel poor households (Thousand)  Percentage of all households 
			 2003 180 8.6 
			 2004 163 7.7 
			 2005 169 8.0 
			 2006 273 12.7 
			 2007 333 15.5 
		
	
	The following table shows fuel poverty estimates for England from 1996 to 2007. Fuel poverty figures are not available for 1997, 1999 and 2000.
	
		
			  England 
			   Number of fuel poor households (Million)  Percentage of all households 
			 1996 5.1 25.0 
			 1998(1) 3.4 - 
			 2001 1.7 8.1 
			 2002(1) 1.4 - 
			 2003 1.2 5.9 
			 2004 1.2 5.9 
			 2005 1.5 7.2 
			 2006 2.4 11.5 
			 2007 2.8 13.2 
			 (1) Estimates of the total number of households for 1998 and 2002 are not available on a consistent basis with other years.

Housing Benefit

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local housing allowance claimants pass their local housing allowance on to their landlords; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: Safeguards are in place that enable local authorities to make payments of the local housing allowance to landlords in circumstances where tenants are likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments. In addition, payment is made direct to the landlord where the tenant is in arrears of eight weeks or more.
	We are satisfied that these safeguards will ensure that customers do not fall into unmanageable difficulties and that their rental payments will be met. The Department is closely monitoring how the local housing allowance is working in practice and is undertaking a wide ranging review of the scheme over its first two years.

Housing Benefit: Council Tax Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single parent households were in receipt of  (a) housing and  (b) council tax benefit in each year since 1997.

Helen Goodman: The available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of single parent households receiving housing benefit/council tax benefit: Great Britain, May 1997 to May 2003 
			   Number of single parent households receiving housing benefit  Number of single parent households receiving council tax benefit 
			 May 1997 954,000 978,000 
			 May 1998 933,000 944,000 
			 May 1999 919,000 923,000 
			 May 2000 851,000 841,000 
			 May 2001 798,000 786,000 
			 May 2002 775,000 761,000 
			 May 2003 803,000 823,000 
			  Notes: 1. The figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. 3. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. 4. Council tax benefit figures exclude second adult rebates. 5. These figures are published on the Department's website at http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hbctb_arc.asp 6. Figures for May 2004 are unavailable as they are currently being revised. 7. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed HB/CTB data electronically from local authorities, and a range of tables has been published as national statistics since August 2009. However, until more of the new data have been fully quality assured to national statistics standards, some detail is only available from the 1 per cent. sample data.  Source:  Housing benefit and council tax benefit management information system, annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 1997-2003.

Incapacity Benefit

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency have received incapacity benefit in each year since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested is in the table.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants at February in each year since 1997 
			  As at February  England  North East  Tees Valley Jobcentre Plus District  Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency 
			 1997 2,233,600 196,000 46,300 6,200 
			 1998 2,214,600 191,700 44,600 6,000 
			 1999 2,168,700 185,700 44,000 5,500 
			 2000 2,156,060 184,210 43,880 5,710 
			 2001 2,214,930 188,610 45,180 5,960 
			 2002 2,217,260 187,910 44,860 5,870 
			 2003 2,247,980 188,790 45,870 6,040 
			 2004 2,256,210 185,660 45,470 5,990 
			 2005 2,246,460 180,030 44,940 5,940 
			 2006 2,209,710 172,910 43,450 5,820 
			 2007 2,180,870 166,790 41,920 5,630 
			 2008 2,151,910 159,850 45,550 5,410 
			 2009 2,002,400 144,530 37,010 4,950 
			  Notes: 1. Tees Valley Jobcentre Plus district comprises the following local authorities: Darlington; Hartlepool; Middlesbrough; Redcar and Cleveland; Stockton. 2. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 3. These data do not include claimants of employment and support allowance.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 5 per cent. and 100 per cent. data.

Incapacity Benefit: Norwich

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of incapacity benefit (IB) there were in Norwich, North constituency in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007; how many claimants of employment and support allowance (ESA) in the constituency there are now; and how much has been spent on (i) IB in each year between 1997 and 2008 and (ii) ESA since it was introduced.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Number of claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance in the Norwich, North constituency at the end of February 1997 and February 2007 
			   Number 
			 February 1997 3,900 
			 February 2007 3,980 
			  Notes: i. The total number of incapacity benefit claimants is collected for each quarter. Some individuals are claimants for more than one quarter and would be counted more than once if the figures for all four quarters were added together. Therefore the figures provided show the number of claimants there were at the end of February for 1997 and 2007 ii. Figures from 1997 have been rounded to the nearest 100. iii. Figures from 2007 have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, 5 per cent. and 100 per cent. data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of claimants of employment and support allowance in the Norwich, North constituency at the end of February 2009 
			   Number 
			 February 2009 270 
			  Notes: i. The end of February 2009 is the latest date for which Employment and Support Allowance claimant figures are available.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance expenditure for Great Britain and the Norwich, North constituency 
			   £ million, nominal terms  £ million, 2009-10 prices 
			   Great Britain  Norwich North  Great Britain  Norwich North 
			 1997-98 8,411.1 10.4 11,036.5 13.6 
			 1998-99 8,234.8 10.6 10,580.2 13.6 
			 1999-00 7,796.3 10.6 9,823.7 13.4 
			 2000-01 7,780.4 10.7 9,676.7 13.3 
			 2001-02 7,788.7 11.1 9,475.8 13.5 
			 2002-03 7,715.6 11.0 9,093.7 13.0 
			 2003-04 7,660.2 10.9 8,778.2 12.5 
			 2004-05 7,580.4 11.2 8,456.7 12.5 
			 2005-06 7,550.1 11.3 8,253.9 12.4 
			 2006-07 7,469.7 11.2 7,948.4 11.9 
			 2007-08 7,556.5 11.5 7,822.9 11.9 
			 2008-09 7,403.6 11.5 7,477.6 11.6 
			  Notes: i. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand. ii. Figures converted to 2009-10 prices using GDP deflators published by HM Treasury at Budget 2009 iii. Nominal figures represent actual expenditure and 2009-10 prices represent what the expenditure is worth in today's prices.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Statistical and Accounting Data 
		
	
	
		
			  Employment and support allowance expenditure for Great Britain and the Norwich, North constituency 
			   £ million, nominal terms  £ million, 2009-10 prices 
			   Great Britain  Norwich North  Great Britain  Norwich North 
			 2008-09 127.3 n/a 128.6 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available  Notes: i. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand. ii. Figures converted to 2009-10 prices using GDP deflators published by HM Treasury at Budget 2009. iii. Nominal figures represent actual expenditure and 2009-10 prices represent what the expenditure is worth in today's prices.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Statistical and Accounting Data

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for osteoarthritis of the knee have been received from coal miners and former coal miners since osteoarthritis of the knee became a prescribed industrial disease; how many have resulted in an award of industrial injury disablement benefit; and how many have resulted in an appeal to a medical appeal tribunal.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 28 October 2009
	The most recent available information is that 25,247 claims have been received for osteoarthritis of the knee since the condition was added to the list of prescribed industrial diseases on 13 July 2009.
	At this early stage, 3,411 claims have been processed, of which 858 have received an award of industrial injuries disablement benefit, or an increase of industrial injuries disablement benefit.
	113 appeals have been received; it is not possible to specify how many of these are appeals on medical grounds.
	We are currently looking into arrangements to publish this information as official statistics.

Industrial Injuries: Disablement Benefit

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will bring forward legislative proposals to extend to  (a) those who have been employed to maintain or repair boilers and  (b) others in occupations which involve working in confined spaces, the provisions which relate to industrial injuries disablement benefit for those coal miners diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) is the scientific body with the statutory role of advising Ministers on the list of prescribed diseases under the Industrial Injures Disablement Benefit scheme, and in particular which diseases and occupations should be prescribed for industrial injuries disablement benefit purposes.
	IIAC, through its research working group and scientific adviser, continually reviews the current scientific literature to see if the necessary level of proof may have become available with regard to diseases and occupations not currently included or if further consideration is required in respect of those already listed.
	IIAC will revisit any subject if new, sound and consistent scientific evidence becomes available, and will be happy to receive any such evidence. The Government will give careful consideration to any advice the council may provide, and consider legislative proposals in the light of that advice.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the ratio of personal advisers to jobseeker's allowance claimants in  (a) the UK and  (b) each region of England,  (c) Wales,  (d) Scotland and  (e) Northern Ireland has been in each month since May 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Jobcentre Plus manages its work force in a way that makes direct comparison between headcount and work load difficult in each geographic region. For example, adviser functions will also include non-jobseeker's allowance customers like those in receipt of incapacity benefit, and employment and support allowance.
	Available information, for Great Britain only, is shown in the following table.
	Information regarding Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.
	
		
			  Ratio of personal advisers to jobseeker's allowance claimants by each region in England, Wales and Scotland in May, June and July 2009 
			   Ratio of jobseeker's allowance claimants to staff 
			  Government office region  May 2009  June 2009  July 2009 
			 East 177.2 156.9 146.5 
			 East Midlands 174.8 155.2 144.9 
			 London 139.0 132.4 128.7 
			 North East 130.2 121.6 115.9 
			 North West 135.6 127.1 120.6 
			 Scotland 126.5 116.6 114.6 
			 South East 167.5 160.8 156.5 
			 South West 156.3 141.0 130.4 
			 Wales 148.9 141.1 127.7 
			 West Midlands 164.5 157.2 153.5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 162.3 141.2 134.1 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for Jobcentre Plus staff relate to Jobcentre Plus staff as a whole and not those deployed against jobseeker's allowance customers/claims. 2. Ratio of jobseeker's allowance claimants to staff are rounded to one decimal place.  Sources: DWP WPLS 100 per cent. data and Jobcentre Plus Human Resources. 
		
	
	The table shows a level of variation across the country between personal advisers and jobseeker's allowance customers. This is to be expected and is due to variations in the Jobcentre Plus operating model. The level of use of external providers is an example. Variations in other adviser work loads not directly linked to the jobseeker's allowance claimant count will be another factor.

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is provided to Jobcentre Plus staff to make medical assessments on individuals' fitness for work; and what criteria are used for such assessments.

Jim Knight: Jobcentre Plus staff do not undertake formal medical assessments on individuals' fitness for work.
	Medical services was outsourced to a private company in 1998. The current medical service contractor is Atos Healthcare Medical Services.
	Atos Healthcare Medical Services carry out the work capability assessment as part of the process of deciding entitlement to employment and support allowance. They provide medical evidence which is used by Jobcentre Plus Decision Makers, in addition to any other medical evidence supplied by the customer, in order to determine entitlement to benefit.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reasons are for the lower levels of jobseeker's allowance for people who are  (a) single and under the age of 24 and  (b) lone parents under the age of 18.

Jim Knight: Jobseeker's Allowance is paid at a lower rate to single people under 25 as the majority of 16 to 24 year-olds do not live independently and may legitimately be regarded as having lower living costs than those aged 25 and over. In addition, lower benefit rates for young people reflect the realities of the labour market where earnings tend to increase with age. It is vital that benefit rates do not erode work incentives for this age group.
	Similar considerations also apply to lone parents under the age of 18.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Employment Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 160W, on jobseeker's allowance: employment schemes, whether work trials are undertaken with employers which are not offering full-time positions; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: To be eligible for a work trial the vacancy has to be for at least 16 hours per week and the hours worked during the trial period must reflect those of the vacancy. We seek assurance from the employer on these points but we do not keep data on the actual number of weekly hours of each trial.

Jobseeker's Allowance: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration of a jobseeker's allowance claim was in each local authority area in the North West in each of the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years.

Jim Knight: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Jobseeker's Allowance: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of jobseeker's allowance claimants in  (a) total and  (b) each local authority area in the North West had previously applied unsuccessfully for employment support allowance.

Jim Knight: The information is not available.

Local Government Services

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her Department's policy is on participating in the Total Place initiative with local councils.

Jonathan R Shaw: DWP's policy is to support the Total Place initiative with local councils and to participate in the pilots, in particular those with a focus on DWP's business areas. DWP has put in place appropriate systems to respond to Total Place and DWP Ministers and officials participate in cross-Whitehall governance arrangements. DWP commits to look at the proposals that emerge from the Total Place pilots.
	 Brief  b ackground
	Area initiatives and strategy division co-ordinate the Total Place work within DWP.
	Mark Fisher is the Whitehall Champion for the Bradford Total Place pilot.
	Relevant DWP directors are meeting with Mark Fisher on the 11 November to consider the emerging proposals from the Total Place pilots.
	The DWP working group on Total Place meets monthly and membership consists of officials from across the Department and JCP.

Local Housing Allowance

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of local housing allowance recipients who are in receipt of the local housing allowance rate for a five bedroom property; and what the rate for a five bedroom property is in each  (a) local authority area and  (b) broad market rental area.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 9 November 2009
	Information on the number of local housing allowance recipients in receipt of the local housing allowance for a five bedroom property is not available.
	Details of local housing allowance rates for broad rental market areas and local authorities, including the rate for a five bedroom property, is available publicly at
	https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk
	This information is updated by the Valuation Office Agency each month.

Local Housing Allowance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in receipt of housing allowance are in rent arrears;
	(2)  what percentage of people in receipt of  (a) rent allowance and  (b) housing benefit are in rent arrears.

Helen Goodman: The information is not available.

Mesothelioma: Death

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have died from mesothelioma in  (a) South Tyneside,  (b) the north- east and  (c) the UK in each year since 2006.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows the number of mesothelioma deaths for South Tyneside, the north-east and for the United Kingdom for 2006 and 2007 (the latest year for which data are available).
	
		
			  Number 
			   2006( 1)  2007( 1) 
			 South Tyneside 10 8 
			 North East 118 136 
			 United Kingdom 2,108 2,192 
			 (1) Provisional.   Sources: 1. Health and Safety Executive; British Mesothelioma Register.  2. Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland; deaths recorded as mesothelioma as primary or secondary cause of death.

New Deal Schemes

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have received assistance through New Deal schemes to undertake voluntary work or training subsequently entered employment lasting five weeks or longer.

Jim Knight: The information is not held in the exact format requested. However the first table shows the number of people (in thousands) who have left the new deal for young people, from periods of voluntary work or training, up to the latest date for which figures are available. The second table shows the number of people (in thousands) who have left the new deal 25 Plus, from periods of training, up to the latest date for which figures are available.
	
		
			  Last activity under new deal for young people  Voluntary sector  Full-time education/training 
			 New deal leavers-destination was sustained work 29.39 41.34 
			 New deal leavers-destination was employment and benefits 1.20 1.71 
			 New deal leavers-destination was benefits 11.60 16.44 
			 Other new deal leavers-(including destination unknown) 17.44 31.86 
		
	
	
		
			  Last activity under new deal 25 plus  Training 
			 New deal leavers-destination was sustained work 15.02 
			 New deal leavers-destination was employment and benefits 0.57 
			 New deal leavers-destination was benefits 12.19 
			 Other new deal leavers-(including destination unknown) 12.85 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are displayed in thousands, and rounded to the nearest 10.  2. The destination from new deal is measured within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions longitudinal study (WPLS).  3. The latest available information is to February 2009.  4. A sustained job is defined as a job from which a participant does not return to jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks.  5. The total for new deal 25 plus training includes those people whose last activity on new deal 25 plus was recorded as 'Basic Employability Training/Basic Skills', 'IAP Training' or 'Education and Training Opportunities'. The new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus are the only schemes which have the options stage.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate. The figures are available at http://research/dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp

Social Security Benefits

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to respond to Question 291499, on social security benefits, tabled on 9 October 2009.

Jim Knight: I replied to the hon. Member's question number 291449 on social security benefits on 2 November 2009,  Official Report, column 733W.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary cost to her Department has been of implementing voice risk analysis technology for the detection of benefit fraud in each year since its introduction.

Jim Knight: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The Department has not yet introduced voice risk analysis technology, but it has been running pilots to test the effectiveness of the technology since 2007-08.
	In 2007-08 a total of £460,000 was paid directly to the seven local authorities piloting voice risk analysis, and £240,333 was spent within the Department for Work and Pensions for a pilot conducted in Jobcentre Plus.
	In 2008-09 a total of £1,734,314.07 was paid directly to the 24 local authorities involved in the second phase of pilots. This second phase of piloting is due to come to an end in December 2009.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical examinations for benefit claimants have taken place outside the 13 week assessment phase in the last two years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The 13-week assessment phase is relevant only for employment and support allowance claims and work capability assessments. Therefore this response is based on data from 27 October 2008 when employment and support allowance was introduced.
	Between October 2008 and April 2009 the number of work capability assessments where time from claim start to ATOS advice given was greater than 13 weeks was 113,700.
	Customers are able to backdate claims to before they first contact Jobcentre Plus to initiate their claim and backdating was on average two weeks for incapacity benefit and it is expected that this will be the same for employment and support allowance. Therefore, the figures above show the technical time between when the claim was made and the completed work capability assessment, but the true time that Jobcentre Plus and ATOS have to work cases may be shorter.
	A more accurate reflection of the time taken to pass through the different parts of the process would be determined by taking into account additional factors, such as the time taken to return paperwork, whether a claimant's condition can be assessed on paper-based evidence alone, whether additional evidence is required and whether a claimant attends their initial appointment or it has to be re-scheduled. This information is not currently available but would provide a fuller answer.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time was for a medical examination for claimants of employment support allowance in the latest period for which information is available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The latest reliable cohort of employment and support allowance claims were for claims starting in April 2009. We use this cohort to estimate timings for different parts of the assessment process.
	Of assessments completed for the April 2009 cohort of employment and support allowance claims, the average time from claim start to the date ATOS advice was provided to Jobcentre Plus is 96 days.
	Customers are able to backdate claims to before they first contact Jobcentre Plus to initiate their claim and backdating was on average two weeks for incapacity benefit and it is expected that this will be the same for employment and support allowance. Therefore, the figures above show the technical time between when the claim was made and the completed work capability assessment, but the true time that Jobcentre Plus and ATOS have to work cases may be shorter.
	A more accurate reflection of the time taken to pass through the different parts of the process would be determined by taking into account additional factors, such as the time taken to return paperwork, whether a claimant's condition can be assessed on paper-based evidence alone, whether additional evidence is required and whether a claimant attends their initial appointment or it has to be re-scheduled. This information is not currently available but would provide a fuller answer.

State Retirement Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of the payment of the basic state pension to all those reaching the state retirement age in  (a) 2011-12,  (b) 2012-13,  (c) 2013-14 and  (d) 2014-15.

Angela Eagle: The requested information is not available.
	Public expenditure plans only cover the period to 2010-11, and long-term expenditure projections beyond that period are currently being updated.
	Final spending plans for departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be set in relation to the final annually managed expenditure (AME) forecast at the time of the next spending review, so that both DEL and AME are contained within the constraints set out for total public sector current expenditure and public sector net investment.
	That AME forecast will depend on both the latest economic assumptions, and also on the whole policy framework, reflecting the government's key choices over spending priorities. It is therefore not sensible to release any partial views of AME components or any other DEL or AME allocations until we have been through the spending review process.
	Updated long-term expenditure projections are scheduled to be published with the pre-Budget report 2009, at which time the requested information should become available.

Unemployment Benefits

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department plans to provide transitional payments to jobseekers who have found work; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Government offer a comprehensive package of transitional payments, through Jobcentre Plus, to support customers returning to work after claiming benefits.
	Job Grants are paid automatically to customers who are leaving benefit after a continuous period of 26 weeks and are starting a job that is expected to last at least five weeks and is for at least 16 hours per week, or 24 hours for partners. There are two rates of payment, £100 for single customers and couples without children and £250 for lone parents and couples with children.
	Housing benefit and council tax benefit run on is available for the first four weeks in work, to customers who have been claiming a specified benefit continuously for 26 weeks or more when they, or their partner, start remunerative work expected to last at least five weeks.
	For homeowners, mortgage interest run on (MIRO) is available for the first four weeks in work, to customers in receipt of a qualifying benefit for 26 weeks or more when they, or their partner, start remunerative work expected to last at least five weeks. The customer must have been in receipt of mortgage/home loan interest or other eligible housing costs before starting work and remain liable to make such payments.
	At adviser discretion, eligible customers can be considered for an Advisor Discretion Fund award to cover transitional costs associated with starting work, for example, travel costs, work clothes and tools, and up-front childcare costs for lone parents for the first two weeks of employment.
	In Work Credit is an incentive designed to help lone parents, and both lone and couple parents in the New Deal Plus for Lone Parent pilot areas, to make the transition from welfare in to full time work and is paid for a maximum of 52 weeks. This is tax-free and payable on top of any other in-work benefits and tax credits to which the lone parent may be entitled.
	It offers a payment of £40 per week, or £60 per week in the London districts, and is payable to eligible lone parents (and both lone and couple parents in the New Deal plus for lone Parent pilot areas) who move into work of more than 16 hours per week, or 24 hours or more for a partner of a Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support customer in the London districts.
	Through the childcare subsidy, lone parents can claim help with the costs for registered childcare whilst they are working less than 16 hours a week up to a maximum of £87.50 per week for one child or £150 per week for two or more children for up to 52 weeks if the job: complies with employment legislation; is for up to 16 hours a week; is waged employment (not voluntary work or work experience); is expected to last for at least five weeks and is undertaken on the recommendation of a personal adviser, as part of an agreed action plan for return to the labour market.
	Childcare Assist is available to all New Deal for Lone Parents and New Deal for Partners participants. It allows for the payment of formal or approved childcare for up to five days in the week immediately before the parent starts work. It also leaves them free to undertake activities required in preparation for starting work, without the worry of arranging childcare. Childcare Assist also helps, through financial support, with the transition from welfare to work.
	The return to work credit is a work incentive to encourage customers to move into work from incapacity benefits or employment support allowance. The return to work credit offers eligible customers, who find work of at least 16 hours a week, and where certain other eligibility conditions are satisfied, a weekly payment of £40 for up to 52 weeks if their gross annual earnings are below £15,000.
	The Rapid Response Service helps employers support their employees faced with redundancy to swiftly find alternative work. The Rapid Response Service funding is available to plug gaps in existing provision and overcome immediate barriers to finding work.
	On an ad hoc basis and according to the particular barriers faced by an individual, funding for such things as travel and childcare costs can continue for a short period after someone finds work.

Vacancies

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of vacancies were advertised in job centres in each of the last six months for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: holding answer 9 September 2009
	Available information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of job vacancies in Great Britain advertised by Jobcentre Plus in each of the last six months 
			  2009  Live unfilled vacancies 
			 February 238,554 
			 March 231,908 
			 April 212,718 
			 May 217,700 
			 June 211,378 
			 July 205,457 
			  Notes: 1. Data are unrounded, and not seasonally adjusted. 2. The Jobcentre Plus data do not cover the whole UK economy. Coverage relates just to vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus and as such represent a market share of vacancies throughout the whole economy. This proportion varies over time, according to the occupation of the vacancy and industry of the employer, and by local area. Comprehensive estimates of all job vacancies (not just those notified to Jobcentre Plus) are available from the monthly ONS Vacancy Survey since April 2001, based on a sample of some 6,000 enterprises. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only. 3. The stocks of live unfilled vacancies reflect more accurately job opportunities available via Jobcentre Plus. In the case of unfilled vacancies, use of the figures on live vacancies is recommended (i.e. excluding suspended vacancies), and this is the default option. Live vacancies may still include some vacancies which have already been filled or are otherwise no longer open to recruits, due to natural lags in procedures for following up vacancies with employers. 4. Jobcentre Plus figures are published at: www.nomisweb.co.uk  Source: Jobcentre Plus labour market system. 
		
	
	
		
			  Office for National Statistics :  UK Vacancy Survey 
			   Level of vacancies 
			 December 2008 to February 2009 445,000 
			 January to March 2009 444,700 
			 February to April 2009 451,200 
			 March to May 2009 444,200 
			 April to June 2009 434,400 
			 May to July 2009 437,700 
			  Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest hundred, displayed in thousands and are seasonally adjusted three-month averages. 2. Excludes agriculture, forestry and fishing. 3. April, May and June data on the ONS monthly vacancies estimate have been revised and July data are provisional. 4. ONS monthly vacancies estimates published at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/LatestData.xls  Source: Office for National Statistics Vacancy Survey. 
		
	
	We do not have a recent estimate of the proportion of vacancies in the UK economy advertised at Jobcentre Plus. There have been some one-off surveys that have estimated the Jobcentre Plus share of all vacancies. In 2002, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) used one such survey to estimate the proportion of total vacancies advertised at jobcentres at 44 per cent. Allowing for sampling variation, the ratio was likely to be in the range of around a third to a half. However, this estimate is likely to have changed over time.
	Although we have estimates of the total number of vacancies in the UK economy from the ONS Vacancy Survey, the data from Jobcentre Plus and the ONS Vacancy Survey are not directly comparable, and so should not be used together to produce such an estimate. The Vacancy Survey is a sample-based survey of businesses in the UK and is seasonally adjusted, whereas the Jobcentre Plus data are administrative data that are subject to a high level of seasonality. In addition, there are coverage issues, with the Vacancy Survey covering only civilian vacancies and excluding agriculture, forestry and fishing, whereas the Jobcentre Plus data include non-civilian vacancies. Both measures are snap-shots of the number of opportunities available at a particular point in time and do not reflect the dynamism of the labour market that sees thousands of new job vacancies come up every day.

Vetting: Young People

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she made of the effect on the employment prospects of young jobseekers of spent convictions for minor cautions being disclosed during enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available.

Voluntary Work

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of  (a) the average number of hours volunteered per week and  (b) the total number of hours volunteered by participants in the voluntary option of her Department's six month offer.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available.

Voluntary Work

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the average length of volunteering placements under her Department's six month offer.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available.

Welfare to Work

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria regarding participation on the part of those with  (a) mental health disorders,  (b) alcohol-related problems and  (c) drug addiction there are in contracts between her Department and private sector welfare-to-work providers.

Jim Knight: Welfare to Work Employment Programme contracts contain terms and conditions which include a requirement for providers to conform to current equality and diversity legislation. Requirements in respect of particular customer groups are contained within individual programme specifications.
	Some programmes are more closely linked to a particular customer group: Workstep, Work Preparation, and Residential Training Colleges programmes support customers with a wide range of disabilities. However, some providers do have particular expertise in respect to people with mental health conditions.
	Across the country there are work preparation contracts specifically designed to deliver support to customers with mental health problems. Similarly, there are Workstep providers with a background in supporting individuals with mental health conditions, but all Workstep providers are expected to be able to help people with a wide range of barriers arising from their disability. Although there are no residential training colleges who deal specifically with customers with a mental health problem, all colleges are able to offer such support.
	Progress to Work is a voluntary programme, which aims to help unemployed and inactive former drugs mis-users into work. It is delivered across all districts in England, Scotland and Wales.
	Progress to Work provides support for customers who have made sufficient progress in their recovery to be drug free or stabilised, but their history of drug mis-use is a significant factor in preventing them from gaining employment or staying in work.
	Progress to Work-LinkUP aims to build on Progress to Work, and help a broader range of disadvantaged customers than just Progress to Work. The specific target group are those who have the following disadvantages: homelessness, ex-offending and alcohol abuse.
	As with Progress to Work, Progress to Work-LinkUP aims to tackle the barriers to employment for these groups by helping customers to find work, or develop them in preparation for work.

Winter Fuel Payments: Pensioners

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the saving to the Exchequer of increasing the age of entitlement to winter fuel payments to 65 years in each of the next five financial years.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 3 November 2009
	Increasing the age of entitlement of winter fuel payments to 65 in each of the next five financial years would result in the estimated savings outlined in the following table.
	
		
			   Savings (£ million) 
			 2010-11 480 
			 2011-12 420 
			 2012-13 340 
			 2013-14 270 
			 2014-15 220 
			  Notes: 1. Savings are modelled on increasing age of entitlement to winter fuel payments to 65 by 2020, against a scenario where age entitlement to winter fuel payments increases to 65 in 2010-11. Modelling assumes anyone 60-64 currently receiving winter fuel payment would no longer receive it. 2. Savings are based on winter fuel payments baseline rates of £200 for households with those aged between 60 and 79. 3. Savings are for each financial year and become smaller as the age of entitlement increases under current legislation. 4. Expenditure rounded to the nearest £10 million and are in 2009-10 price term.

Work Experience

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work experience placements in each work sector were available in each of the last 24 months.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available. Existing schemes do not collect data centrally.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects to answer question 288473, on Jobcentre Plus, tabled by the hon. Member for Northavon for answer on 20 July 2009.

Jim Knight: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 2 November 2009,  Official Report, column 729W.

CABINET OFFICE

Cancer

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate she has made of the number of people aged  (a) 18 years and over,  (b) 60 years and over and  (c) 85 years and over who were diagnosed with cancer in (i) England and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated November 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about the number of people aged (a) 18 years old and over, (b) 60 years old and over and (c) 85 years old and over who were diagnosed with cancer in (i) England and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority in each year since 1997.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2007. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	The table attached provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of cancer in (i) England and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority, for each year since 1997 to 2007, for people aged (a) 18 to 59 years, (b) 60 to 84 years, and (c) 85 years and over.
	
		
			  Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of all cancers 1997( 1) -2007( 2) 
			  England( 3) 
			   Age 18-59  Age 60-84  Age 85  + 
			 1997 53,372 144,678 22,556 
			 1998 53,514 143,828 23,137 
			 1999 55,788 147,955 23,801 
			 2000 56,073 147,700 24,112 
			 2001 57,496 148,995 24,567 
			 2002 56,765 148,282 23,537 
			 2003 58,259 151,504 23,152 
			 2004 59,837 155,023 22,836 
			 2005 60,463 155,908 24,070 
			 2006 60,532 155,253 24,912 
			 2007 60,049 157,948 25,862 
		
	
	
		
			  Yorkshire and H umberside strategic health a uthority( 3) 
			   Age 18-59  Age 60-84  Age 85  + 
			 1997 5,407 15,268 2,154 
			 1998 5,501 15,049 2,244 
			 1999 5,624 14,941 2,209 
			 2000 5,857 15,920 2,364 
			 2001 5,995 15,740 2,490 
			 2002 5,891 15,993 2,322 
			 2003 6,200 16,247 2,383 
			 2004 6,240 16,447 2,294 
			 2005 6,582 16,356 2,378 
			 2006 6,268 16,145 2,456 
			 2007 6,224 16,606 2,528 
			 (1) All cancers coded to C00-C97 excluding C44 (non-melanoma skin cancer) in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) (2) Based on boundaries as of 2009-11-10 (3 )Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many helplines her Department operates; and how much her Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The Office of the Third Sector, part of the Cabinet Office, runs an inquiry line. This has been set up to support the variety of other information sources (publications, websites) available outlining Government's support for the Third Sector. This is a '0207' number from which the Government derive no income.
	Delivery Partners may run their own inquiry lines in certain cases, for example the Community Development Foundation (CDF) in relation to Grassroots Grants and the Hardship Fund. However, neither the CDF nor my Department receives any income from the operation of these lines.

Google Adword Online Advertising Keywords

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for which Google Adword on-line advertising keywords her Department has paid in the last 12 months.

Tessa Jowell: The Department has paid under £200 for Google online advertising keywords in the last 12 months. This service was used as part of the initial launch of Building Britain's Future website, and the keywords were based on Building Britain's Future.

Green Ministers Committee

Colin Challen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Green Ministers Committee has met in 2009; and which Ministers attended each such meeting.

Tessa Jowell: There is currently no 'Green Ministers' Cabinet Committee. Issues relating to energy and the environment would generally be dealt with through ED (Environment and Energy) Committee, or its parent Committee, the Economic Development Committee. A full list of Cabinet Committees, their membership and terms of reference can be found in the Libraries of the House
	Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, is generally not disclosed, as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Housing

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what  (a) the lowest quartile of house prices and  (b) average earnings were in (i) England, (ii) each region of England and (iii) each housing authority in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	Lower quartile house prices for England, for regions and for local authorities is available on our website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table-587.xls
	A table showing median gross weekly earnings by place of residence for England, for regions in England, and for local and unitary authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber in the last five years has been deposited in the Library of the House. The source for the figures is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

Knowledge Archive Database

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the title is of each job within the Central Office of Information (COI) as recorded on the Knowledge Archive database of COI jobs.

Tessa Jowell: I have asked the chief executive of the Central Office of Information to reply to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Mark Lund, dated October 2009:
	As Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on the COI Knowledge Archive database (290043).
	The Knowledge Archive is a way of filing and categorising the job files in COI and does not in itself contain any information/knowledge. This system is used to search by a numerical system and does not list the title of each job.

Members: Allowances

Alistair Burt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will request the Committee on Standards in Public Life to place in the Library a copy of each paper relating to the legal advice  (a) sought and  (b) received in respect of its inquiry into MPs' expenses and allowances.

Tessa Jowell: The disclosure of advice received by the Committee on Standards in Public Life is a matter for the committee.

Mesothelioma

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in  (a) Jarrow Constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

Ann Keen: I have been asked to reply.
	The information on the number of people who required treatment for mesothelioma is not held centrally. Requested information on count of finished consultant episodes, where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma is provided in the following table for England, South Tyneside Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the relevant strategic health authorities (SHAs). It should be noted that Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA and County Durham and Tees Valley SHA combined to form the North East SHA in 2006-07. This information is not centrally held for the United Kingdom.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was Mesothelioma( 1)  for selected organisations national health service hospitals , England and activity performed in the Independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS 1997-98 to 2008-09 
			   England  North East Strategic Health Authority  South Tyneside PCT as PCT of residence 
			 2008-09 7,349 708 104 
			 2007-08 6,968 735 77 
			 2006-07 6,677 735 69 
		
	
	
		
			   England  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA as SHA of residence  County Durham and Tees Valley SHA as SHA of residence  South Tyneside PCT as PCT of residence 
			 2005-06 6,436 316 303 40 
			 2004-05 5,671 348 242 28 
			 2003-04 5,697 443 230 56 
			 2002-03 4,685 267 173 53 
			 2001-02 4,663 321 129 59 
			 2000-01 4,442 315 122 57 
			 1999-2000 4,155 401 121 58 
			 1998-99 3,773 373 98 39 
			 1997-98 3,075 186 69 11 
			  Notes: 1. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE)-An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. It should be noted that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 2. Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)-The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) dataset and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. (1)The ICD-10 codes used in this analysis were as follows: C45 Mesothelioma; D19 Benign neoplasm of mesothelial tissue 3. Assessing growth through time-HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. 4. PCT and SHA Data Quality-PCT and SHA data were added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of Treatment and SHA of Treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data. 5. Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA and County Durham and Tees Valley SHA combined to form the North East SHA in 2006-07.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

National School of Government: Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much income the National School of Government received for consultancy services in 2008-09.

Angela Smith: This is a matter for the National School of Government. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 9 November 2009,  Official Report, column 83W.

Personal Income

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the  (a) average earnings and  (b) average house price was in each region in each of the last 20 quarters for which figures are available.

Ian Austin: holding answer 9 November 2009
	 I have been asked to reply.
	A table showing median gross weekly earnings by place of residence by region in each of the last five years is presented in the Library of the House. The source for the figures is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Quarterly earnings data by region is unavailable.
	Quarterly mean and median house prices by region are available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table-581.xls
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/141395.xls

Personal Income

David Crausby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate the UK Statistics Authority has made of the ratio of female to male earnings in Great Britain.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated November 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the latest estimate is for the ratio of female to male earnings in Great Britain. (298741)
	Average levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence.
	ONS recently conducted a review of gender pay statistics and found that no single measure could adequately explain the difference in men's and women's pay. ONS's preferred method is to show the pay difference for three measures: all employees, full-time employees and part-time employees.
	The figures provided below come from the 2008 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and show the median hourly earnings, excluding overtime, for female and male employees and the ratio of female to male hourly earnings. The figures provided are for Great Britain.
	
		
			   Hourly rate (£)  Ratio 
			   Female  Male  Female/male 
			 Full-time 10.93 12.55 0.871 
			 Part-time 7.50 7.25 1.034 
			 All employees 9.28 12.00 0.773

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Government Assistance

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09 on the Enterprise Coaching Scheme; and how many businesses received assistance from the scheme in each of these years.

Rosie Winterton: Enterprise coaching became available as a service within the Solutions for Business portfolio in March 2009. There are no data on spend for earlier periods or for the month of March 2009. Annual spend data will become available in due course for 2009-10 and subsequent years. The service is aimed at individuals and so future information will refer to individuals rather than businesses who have been assisted.

Business: Government Assistance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for how long funding for the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme is estimated to last; and whether he plans to provide further assistance to small and medium sized enterprises after that date.

Rosie Winterton: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee is a temporary loan guarantee scheme available until the end of March 2010. We are considering the future of the scheme beyond March 2010 in the context of the pre-Budget report.

Business: Regulation

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the number of jobs in the economy as a result of regulations on business introduced since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: There has been no assessment of the overall effect of regulations on employment. Many regulations have net benefits for the economy and may therefore lead to positive impacts on the labour market.
	Creating the right conditions for businesses to start up, grow and invest requires many elements including a strong and responsive regulatory framework. With the best business environment in Europe, and fifth best in the world, according to the World Bank, the UK already has an effective regulatory system which helps strengthen our society and our economy.
	The Government are committed to, and are delivering, an ambitious programme of improving the way they regulate. We know the costs of regulation are a very real concern to businesses, especially in a challenging economic climate, so when we introduce new rules we need to make sure we maximise the benefits to businesses, the economy and society, and ensure the costs are minimised or reduced where possible.
	The recently published benefit/cost ratio:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file53280.pdf
	is an important step in the better regulation agenda, increasing transparency and inviting greater scrutiny that will help improve the credibility and understanding of our regulatory framework further. The fact that the benefit cost ratio is above 1 indicates that there has been no economic loss which could have caused job losses. This publication, showing that benefits are nearly double the costs of regulation, sets an important benchmark for improving the way that Government regulates.

Charlie Whelan

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2072W, on Derek Draper and Charlie Whelan, what the purpose was of the meeting with Mr. Charlie Whelan on 15 January 2009.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) on 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1047W and 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1522W.

Companies House: Standards

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what targets Companies House set for the time taken to process electronic incorporations in  (a) July,  (b) August,  (c) September and  (d) October 2009; how many such incorporations were not dealt with within the target time in each such month; and what steps Companies House has taken to deal with such incorporations not handled within target times.

Ian Lucas: The target Companies House has for the processing of electronic incorporations is 95 per cent. within three working days. This was set out in my statement to the House on 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 69WS.
	The percentages of incorporations that did not meet these targets were:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 July 4 
			 August 0.3 
			 September 0.05 
			 October 19 
		
	
	The increase in numbers of incorporations failing to meet the target in October was due to the implementation of the Companies Act 2006 and a variety of factors including: data processing issues; customer and staff lack of familiarity with new requirements; and initial issues with system performance.
	Steps taken include: assigning resources; identifying and fixing data validation issues; clarifying and communicating policy issues. These steps resulted in incorporations targets being met from 9 October onwards.

Departmental Air Travel

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many first-class flights were taken by each Minister in his Department in 2008-09; and what the  (a) origin,  (b) destination and  (c) cost was of each such flight.

Patrick McFadden: Travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
	The Department does not hold separate records of the travel undertaken by Ministers as opposed to those undertaken by civil servants. To provide this information would entail disproportionate costs.
	Cabinet Office provides an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008/2009 list was published on 16 July 2009 and can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Departmental Finance

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department  (a) has spent since its inception and  (b) plans to spend in 2010-11 on market research to improve the usability of its website.

Patrick McFadden: Since its inception in June, the Department has spent £30,474 (ex VAT) on market research to improve the usability of its website. There are no firm plans for such spending in 2010-11 beyond the annual quality and usage measurements mandated by the Central Office of Information.

Departmental Finance

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department  (a) has spent since its inception and  (b) plans to spend in 2010-11 on (i) the design of its website and (ii) other market research for promotional purposes.

Patrick McFadden: Spend on website design since the creation of BIS is £16,158. There is no anticipated spend on website design in 2010-11.
	The following has been spent since the creation of BIS through the Department's strategic marketing team on market research:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Vulnerable workers campaign-Creative research 32,030 
			 Know Your Consumer Rights campaign-research for public relations campaign 6,500 
			   
			 Science: So what? So everything campaign:  
			 Shape of Jobs to Come (research) 7,500 
			 So Fashion poll (omnibus survey) 500 
			   
			 ICM Online omnibus survey of business leaders 4,860 
			 Questions Kids Ask campaign-omnibus survey 3,500 
			 Total 54,890 
		
	
	Public relations campaigns are used for raising public awareness on specific issues. External contracts are placed taking account of Cabinet Office propriety guidance.
	Details of any other spend on market research are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Information Officers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent press officers  (a) work for and  (b) provide assistance to his Department.

Patrick McFadden: The number of press officers currently at BIS is 28. This combines the Press Offices from the former BERR and former DIUS. The Press Office coordinates all the media handling for the Department's current 10 Ministers.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) page hits and  (b) visitors his Department's website received in 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the former Departments BERR and DIUS. These figures relate to the main websites of the former Departments.
	In 2008-09 the BERR website received 35,876,215 page views and 6,317,635 unique visitors.
	www.berr.gov.uk
	In 2008-09 the DIUS website received 3,182,772 page views and 1,538,348 visitors. The DIUS website proper was not launched until March. Prior to that date DIUS content was split between an interim DIUS website and the BERR website.
	www.dius.gov.uk
	Other websites operated by the Department are not centrally managed. Information on visitor numbers for these sites is not centrally held and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Reorganisation

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 436-7W, on departmental reorganisation, what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of merging the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to form his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 28 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 423-4W.

Departmental Standards

Mark Todd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department.

Patrick McFadden: BIS is fully committed to the Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) and to support this I have accepted the role of Value for Money Minister to ensure the recommendations are implemented.
	BIS is well placed to meet the implementation plan milestones across the OEP areas which support strongly the work the Department already has in place. For example, with collaborative procurement, of the £450 million savings that the Research Councils' Shared Service Centre predicts that it will generate over the first 10 years of its operation, £400 million will come from procurement savings. The Shareholder Executive is leading the asset management strand across Government, and options for the sale of the student loans portfolio are being developed. We are continuing to work with the further and higher education sectors to improve their procurement practices.
	We have recently undertaken an initial benchmarking back office costs exercise. BIS has a large network of partner organisations included in this exercise and has worked hard to collect the relevant data. We will be working with partner organisations and colleagues across Whitehall to develop the benefits from this work.

Derek Draper

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2072W, on Derek Draper and Charlie Whelan, on what date the Secretary of State most recently spoke to Mr. Derek Draper in the course of his official duties.

Patrick McFadden: My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State has had no reason in the course of his official duties to speak to Mr. Derek Draper.

Electronic Equipment

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to support the electronics manufacturing industry;
	(2)  if he will increase the support available through his Department and its agencies to small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to increase the skills level of the workforce in the electronics industry.

Ian Lucas: The UK's electronics sector, and ICT more widely, is increasingly the enabler most likely to give companies in many other sectors their competitive edge, which is why the Government strongly supports it. Most recently, our package of measures to support Advanced Manufacturing announced in July, as part of our New Industry, New Jobs initiative, included the expansion of the Printable Electronics Technology centre in Sedgefield through an additional £12 million of investment, seeking to create up to 1,500 jobs by 2014, and an investment of £0.5 million towards the development of a Centre of Excellence for Silicon Design in the South West.
	The Government provide extensive support for the sector via the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). This has included support for the ARTEMIS and ENIAC European Joint Technology initiatives, the Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre, and the Electronics Knowledge Transfer Network.
	BIS officials also provide support to the sector through their strong links to the Electronics Leadership Council, the sector's trade associations, and the UK Electronics Alliance, and by chairing the Electronics Regulatory Group which works with the sector to identify key regulatory issues affecting electronics companies and to help mitigate regulatory impacts.
	In addition, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) helps electronics companies to internationalise their businesses by developing their international trade potential with advice, support and access to research. UKTI also helps them access international markets by providing support to attend trade fairs, facilitating meetings with overseas buyers and organising visits to new markets.
	More generally, a wide range of support measures are available to small and medium-sized manufacturers via the Solutions for Business package and Business Link. These include recent measures under the Real Help for Business initiative, to address the cash flow, credit and investment needs of SMEs, as well as increased support for SMEs through products such as the Manufacturing Advisory Service, which has undergone an £8 million expansion, and plays a vital role in helping UK manufacturers to share knowledge, improve productivity and achieve success in an increasingly competitive global economy.
	We have a wide range of skills programmes and initiatives which are designed to boost the skill levels of the work force. Through its Train to Gain Sector Compact and wider UK work, SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering, Manufacturing and Technologies, has engaged with nearly 2,000 electronics based companies in the UK in the past 12 months to identify and develop the right investment in skills.
	The development of skills in the industry is also provided through our £1 billion (total for the whole economy) a year Apprenticeships programme. In 2007-08, 6,500 people in England started an Advanced (level 3) Apprenticeship in electro-technical occupations-the third most popular framework at Advanced level.
	We are also committed to increasing the number of young people who choose to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects post-16. Increasing the STEM qualified proportion of the workforce will contribute to our ability to meet the skills requirements of the electronics industry.

Future Jobs Fund

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding has been allocated from the Future Jobs Fund to create apprenticeships in the creative industries.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are currently working closely with cultural sectors in order to create exciting job opportunities within the Future Jobs Fund and we welcome bids that create apprenticeships.
	At this stage the DWP does not have a detailed breakdown of the sectors that the bids seek to create jobs in. The list of successful bidders to the Future Jobs Fund is available on our website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/futurejobsfund
	Many of these bids are from partnerships who plan to create jobs with a variety of organisations, in different sectors.

Insolvency: Fees and Charges

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from representatives of small businesses on fees charged to them by insolvency consultants and lawyers.

Ian Lucas: I have not received any representations from representatives of small businesses about the fees charged by insolvency consultants and lawyers. I would suggest that anyone seeking professional advice should always seek to establish the possible costs involved.
	Although the Court can review fees charged by insolvency practitioners, the proposed amendments to the Insolvency Rules, which are due to come into force in April next year, include provisions that will enable creditors to obtain further information and thereby make it easier for greater scrutiny of office-holders' remuneration and expenses. The amendments also make it clearer how to challenge such expenses.

Job Creation: Environment Protection

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many green British jobs his Department expects to be created in each of the next five years.

Ian Lucas: Based on bottom-up company data, Innovas estimated that in 2007-08 there were 880,000 jobs in the UK Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services Sector (LCEGS).
	It is estimated that an additional 400,000 jobs could be created in this sector from the 2007/08 level to 2015 (an average annual growth of 4-5 per cent.). This would represent an increase of 45 per cent.
	But we need to remember that essentially we need all jobs to be green jobs. Ambitious carbon reduction targets will require a transition to low carbon for the whole economy. This will affect businesses and workers across the entire British economy, not just the LCEGS sector. There will be a range of opportunities at all skills levels across the economy.
	Ultimately it is successful businesses that create jobs. Our focus is to drive sustainable economic growth, which in turn can foster the business success that will generate the jobs of the future.

Learning and Skills Council: Consultants

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) paid  (a) Fishburn Hedges,  (b) John Barnes and  (c) Ian McMillan as part of the Get On competition on football chants, as referred to in the LSC's press release of 13 August 2009.

Kevin Brennan: The total cost of the activity including agency costs and materials was £21,000 (excluding VAT.) This piece of activity generated a significant amount of national, regional and online media coverage, as well as valuable opportunities within many broadcast programmes on national radio and TV which are vital to reaching the target audience. For this reason, the cost of this activity compares well with the cost of TV and radio advertising. This story is part of the successful Get On literacy and numeracy marketing campaign which has generated 380,000 calls from adults wanting to improve their skills, contributing towards the 2.8 million adults who have improved their literacy and numeracy skills and gained a qualification since 2001.

Low Carbon Zones

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Government has taken to identify designated low carbon zones.

Patrick McFadden: Since the publication of the UK Low Carbon Industrial Strategy in July, we have announced two low carbon economic areas, the first located in the south-west of England, focusing on the development of marine energy and the second in the north-east of England focusing on ultra-low carbon vehicles. We have been working with the regional development agencies and industrial partners and will be announcing further low carbon economic areas over the coming few months.

Manufacturing Industries: Minerals

Tom Levitt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy of the UK lime manufacturing industry.

Ian Lucas: The Department has not prepared an assessment of the lime manufacturing industry, and does not therefore have a view on the contribution to the economy of the lime manufacturing industry.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of new cars bought under the vehicle scrappage scheme were  (a) manufactured in the UK and  (b) manufactured overseas and imported; and how much money has been paid out under the scheme in respect of imported vehicles.

Ian Lucas: Full data will not be available until the end of the scheme. Details of new vehicles purchased are not available until transactions are completed and further analysis will also be required because certain models are both imported and manufactured in the UK.
	In 2008, 86 per cent. of vehicles sold in the UK were imported. However, the global automotive supply chain is highly integrated and many imported cars will have a significant UK content in terms of components. For example, we understand 90 per cent. of Ford vehicles sold under the scrappage scheme have engines made in the UK.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department allocated to each of its non-departmental public bodies in 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: The level of funding the Department has allocated to its NDPBs in 2008-09 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Name of body  Type of body  BIS funding 2008-09 (£000) 
			 Central Arbitration Committee Tribunal NDPB 680 
			 Copyright Tribunal Tribunal NDPB 61 
			 Insolvency Practitioners' Tribunal Tribunal NDPB 0 
			 Competition Appeals Tribunal Tribunal NDPB 0 
			 Learning and Skills Council Executive NDPB 11,894,866 
			 Higher Education Funding Council for England Executive NDPB 7,445,114 
			 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Executive NDPB 784,878 
			 Science and Technology Facilities Council Executive NDPB 602,699 
			 Medical Research Council Executive NDPB 643,000 
			 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Executive NDPB 412,155 
			 North West RDA Executive NDPB 384,704 
			 Advantage West Midlands (RDA) Executive NDPB 295,536 
			 Yorkshire Forward (RDA) Executive NDPB 297,312 
			 Natural Environment Research Council Executive NDPB 395,760 
			 Technology Strategy Board Executive NDPB 222,000 
			 One North East (RDA) Executive NDPB 245,419 
			 South West of England RDA Executive NDPB 169,650 
			 East Midlands RDA Executive NDPB 161,192 
			 South East England RDA Executive NDPB 160,741 
			 Economic and Social Research Council Executive NDPB 178,000 
			 East of England RDA Executive NDPB 131,660 
			 Arts and Humanities Research Council Executive NDPB 114,698 
			 UKCES Executive NDPB 66,635 
			 Student Loans Company Executive NDPB 78,584 
			 Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) Executive NDPB 47,312 
			 Consumer Focus Executive NDPB 23,017 
			 Competition Commission Executive NDPB 20,500 
			 UK Atomic Energy Authority Executive NDPB 8,337 
			 Design Council Executive NDPB 6,435 
			 Investors in People UK (now part of UK CES) Executive NDPB 4.700 
			 Competition Service Executive NDPB 3876 
			 Local Better Regulation Office Executive NDPB 4,400 
			 Capital for Enterprise Ltd Executive NDPB 2,010 
			 Office for Fair Access Executive NDPB 514 
			 British Hallmarking Council Executive NDPB 0 
			 Construction Industry Training Board Executive NDPB 0 
			 Engineering Construction Industry Training Board Executive NDPB 0 
			 Film Industry Training Board for England and Wales Executive NDPB 0 
			 Hearing Aid Council Executive NDPB 0 
			 National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) Executive NDPB 0 
			 Simpler Trade Procedures Board (SITPRO) Executive NDPB 780 
			 Council for Science and Technology Advisory NDPB 150 
			 Industrial Development Advisory Board Advisory NDPB 0 
			 Low Pay Commission Advisory NDPB 811 
			 Regional Industrial Development Boards Advisory NDPB 0 
			 Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Advisory NDPB 0 
			 Union Modernisation Fund Supervisory Board Advisory NDPB 0 
			 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Advisory Board Advisory NDPB 0

Sanctions: Iran

William Hague: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions UK companies have informed his Department that they have notified the European Commission under Article 2 of the EU's Council Regulation 2271/96 in relation to the extra-territorial application of US sanctions legislation on Iran in each of the last four financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: None.

Strategic Investment Fund

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made with the competition for a national composites centre as part of the Strategic Investment Fund programme; how invitations to compete for the centre were issued; which organisations have submitted bids; how much of the Fund's resources will be allocated to the centre; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: We received a number of bids under the general invitation for bids for funding under the Strategic Investment Fund programme announced in the Budget 2009, including those for a national composite centre.
	Any decision on the location and funding of the centre will be announced as part of the launch of the UK Composites Strategy.

Technology Strategy Board: Grants

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Technology Strategy Board allocated to  (a) all UK businesses and  (b) UK video games businesses in 2008.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 5 November 2009,  Official Report, column 1244W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Anti-Semitism: Poland

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on incidents of anti-Semitism in Poland since July 2009; what recent discussions he has had with the government of Poland on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: We have not received any reports regarding violent anti-Semitic incidents in Poland since July 2009 and we have not had any recent discussions with the Polish Government on this matter.

Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department has provided to the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange partnership in the last 12 months; what assistance he plans to provide to that organisation in the next six months; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Ivan Lewis: The Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange was announced jointly by UK and Israeli Prime Ministers in July 2008. The Government have contributed £20,000 in the last 12 months. The funding given has already been put to good use, to pay for start-up costs. Representatives from the British Council and our embassy in Tel Aviv are members of the scheme's administrative committee. We intend to continue our support and have earmarked £5,000 for the current financial year.

Departmental Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many miles  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department travelled by (i) car, (ii) rail and (iii) air on Government business in each year since 1997.

Chris Bryant: Information on miles travelled by Ministers and officials is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Iraq: Armed Conflict

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department received reports that Iraqi civilians employed as locally-engaged staff had been killed because they worked for the UK.

Ivan Lewis: We first received a report of the murder of an interpreter who was working for the UK on 12 March 2005. Another interpreter had been killed on 4 November 2004 by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. However, we cannot be certain that the latter was specifically targeted because of his work for the UK.

Iraq: Armed Conflict

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department first received reports of threats to the lives of Iraqi locally employed civilians.

Ivan Lewis: The first reported threats to the lives of Iraqi LE staff were received in early 2005.

Iraq: Armed Conflict

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long on average elapsed between the announcement of the  (a) asylum and  (b) financial payment scheme for former Iraqi locally employed civilians and the first former Iraqi locally employed civilians leaving Iraq for a neighbouring country under the scheme.

Ivan Lewis: The Locally Engaged Staff Assistance Scheme for former locally employed staff included the options of resettlement in the UK or a financial settlement. This was announced in a written ministerial statement by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 29WS. The first former Iraqi locally employed staff who opted for resettlement under the Gateway Refugee Resettlement Programme left Iraq at the end of April 2008 for a neighbouring third country.

Kosovo: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's budget is for its activities in Kosovo in  (a) 2009 and  (b) 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s budget for its activities in Kosovo comprises (a) operational costs for our embassy in Pristina and (b) discretionary programme funding. In addition, the Conflict Prevention Pool and Peacekeeping Budget (separate budgets owned jointly by the FCO, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development (DFID), with decisions on spending taken tri-departmentally, irrespective of the implementing Department) fund a range of Kosovo related activity.
	Below is a breakdown for financial years (FY) 2008-09 and 2009-10:
	
		
			   £ 
			  FY 2008-09  
			 Embassy Operational Costs 704,319 
			 FCO Discretionary Programme Funding 228,919 
			 Tri-departmental Conflict Funding 26,600,000 
			   
			  FY 2009-10  
			 Embassy Operational Costs 686,566 
			 FCO Discretionary Programme Funding 168,500 
			 Tri-departmental Conflict Funding 9,000,000 
		
	
	Activities funded by the tri-departmental conflict funding are:
	(a) discretionary spending in support of military and civilian peacekeeping missions.
	(b) conflict related programme expenditure.
	The reduction in conflict funding between FY 2008-09 and FY 2009-10 relates principally to the decision in March 2009 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander for Europe that the capacity provided by British troops to the NATO force in Kosovo (KFOR) could be reduced given the steady improvement of the security environment in Kosovo.
	In addition to these figures, the FCO-on behalf of the three departments-pays the UK's assessed contributions for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo, the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). We contribute 11.09 per cent. of the OSCE overall budget for field missions, equating to €3,333,687 in 2008 and €2,984,319 in 2009. The UK pays approximately 17 per cent. of the common costs of all European Security and Defence Policy missions, including EULEX. For the period from August 2009 to June 2010, the approximate UK contribution to the common costs of EULEX is £22 million. The UK contribution to common costs for UNMIK in 2008-09 were £7,508,472 and are projected to be £3,155,032 in 2009-10.
	Decisions have not yet been made on embassy operational, FCO discretionary programme or Conflict Prevention Pool allocations for 2010-11 nor have all the relevant multilateral negotiations on mission budgets taken place.
	This does not represent the total Government budget in Kosovo. For example, DFID spent £3.1 million in Kosovo in the financial year 2008-09 and funded the UK's share of assessed costs for UN agencies, the World Bank and European Commission's Instrument for Pre-Accession.

Libya: EU External Relations

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on a European Union-Libya co-operation agreement; what assessment he has made of the issues to be resolved before an agreement can be reached; and when he expects the agreement to be concluded.

Ivan Lewis: In July 2008 the Justice and Home Affairs Council approved a mandate for the European Commission to take forward negotiations on the EU-Libyan framework agreement. Negotiations began in November 2008.
	The framework agreement will cover a range of political, social, economic, commercial and cultural relations between the EU and Libya. It will provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation on areas including human rights, enhancement of energy security, migration and combating terrorism.
	Negotiations are led by the Commission and are ongoing. To date there have been four rounds of negotiations, with the next round scheduled to take place later this year. No date has been set for signature.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the state of relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are currently under strain because of disagreements over how to relaunch the peace process and who is to blame for the lack of progress.
	The Government, from my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister down, work closely with them, and our international partners, to find a way to launch a credible process with a credible prospect of achieving a two-state solution.
	We have made it clear that we fully support US President Barack Obama's initiative to kick-start political negotiations. We believe urgent progress is essential to build confidence throughout the region.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration on progress towards peace in the Middle East.

Ivan Lewis: The US Administration, from the President down, have made clear their commitment to restarting negotiations and continue to work towards that goal. We are offering them our full support, as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 11 October and Senator George Mitchell on 28 October 2009.
	While significant obstacles undoubtedly remain, the alternatives to credible negotiations towards a two-state solution are far worse. We believe urgent progress is essential to build confidence throughout the region.

NATO: Cybercrime

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration his Department has given to extending the definition of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty to include cyber attacks; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)'s Policy on Cyber Defence, agreed at the Bucharest summit in 2008, provides for a common and co-ordinated approach to cyber defence and any response to cyber attacks, and guides individual member states on protecting their own national systems.
	Article 5 of the Washington treaty states that an armed attack against one member of NATO shall be considered an attack on all. Article 4 of the treaty makes clear that The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened. The UK is fully committed to these obligations. How these provisions relate to new threats, such as cyber attack, will be considered as part of the process of updating NATO's Strategic Concept.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the political situation in Zimbabwe on the economy of southern Africa.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 2 November 2009
	President Mugabe's policies prior to the formation of the power-sharing government in February 2009 had a disastrous impact on Zimbabwe. They also had, and continue to have, ramifications for the region more widely. Zimbabwe's economic collapse has lowered investor confidence across the entire region, reduced regional growth, and triggered political and economic migration leading to increased pressure on services and inter-communal tensions in receiving countries.
	Since the formation of the inclusive government in February, Finance Minister Biti has worked hard to stabilise the economy, increase revenue generation to allow the payment of salaries to the civil service, and improve public finance management. Much remains to be done to restore investor confidence in Zimbabwe, including by reforming the Central Bank. We commend the progress so far, and urge Zimbabwe to implement fully the economic reform envisaged in the Global Political Agreement.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Commonwealth counterparts on the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Ivan Lewis: We are in regular contact with members of the Southern African Development Community, many of whom are members of the Commonwealth, as part of an ongoing dialogue, including on Zimbabwe. Most recently, my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Baroness Kinnock, visited South Africa and Nigeria on 2-6 November 2009 and discussed Zimbabwe with South African and Nigerian counterparts.
	International donors, including Commonwealth countries, met to discuss Zimbabwe in Berlin on 26 October 2009. The Commonwealth's Committee of the Whole met in London on 21-22 October 2009.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Crimes of Violence

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps he has taken to reduce levels of alcohol-related violence.

Alan Campbell: The majority of people who drink enjoy alcohol sensibly. We are however determined to take action to reduce the levels of crime and disorder caused by those who do not. This includes commencing drink banning orders (DBO) on application on 31 August 2009 to allow the police and local authorities to crack down on those who commit criminal or disorderly behaviour while under the influence of alcohol; earlier this year we spent £3 million on targeted enforcement activities in over 190 areas, as well as a further £1.5 million on enforcement campaigns in our top 50 priority areas. This summer we launched a £1.5 million partnership support programme in our top 50 priority areas to specifically target public perceptions of drunk or rowdy behaviour by ensuring that local people's concerns are being acted upon and the results are made known to the local communities.
	Last year we ran 13 regional workshops to train around 1,300 frontline practitioners, including the police and licensing officers. We are now running a further series of two-day alcohol-enforcement training seminars in our 50 priority areas aimed at magistrates, courts officials, elected members who sit on licensing committees and operational police officers. To support these seminars we have recently published a comprehensive guide for delivery partners on alcohol-enforcement tools and powers and we have developed a digital resource pack, which has recently gone live.
	We are continuing to take forward the alcohol measures included in the Policing and Crime Bill which was introduced in December 2008. These include a new mandatory code for the alcohol industry which will stop irresponsible promotions and practices such as all you can drink for £10 and women drink free; new powers for local authorities allowing them to initiate reviews against licensed premises in their area; creation of a new offence of persistent possession of alcohol in a public place by a person aged under 18; strengthening the persistent selling offence from three sales to an under 18-year-old in three months to two sales in three months; removing the need for the police to show intent in existing confiscation of alcohol legislation; and amend the directions to leave powers so that a police officer can instruct any young person aged 10 and over (it is currently 16) to leave an area if they felt they would contribute to crime and disorder.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders were  (a) issued and  (b) breached in (i) England and (ii) Vale of York constituency in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: The number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued at all courts in England in each year during the period 2005 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in England subsequently proven in court to have been breached for the first time in each year during the period 2005 to 2007 is also shown in the table.
	It should be noted that these breached ASBOs are counted based on the year the first breach was proven in court. Many ASBOs which are breached in a particular year will have been issued in a previous year, and some will have been issued prior to 2005; it is therefore not possible to compute breach rates from the figures presented in this table. ASBOs may be breached more than once and in more than one year. In this table ASBOs are counted once only within the period when they were first breached.
	Data on ASBOs issued and breached collected centrally by my Department are not available below criminal justice system (CJS) area level.
	
		
			  The number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued at all courts( 1)  in England and the number proven in court to have been breached, in each year( 2) , 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007 
			  England  2005  2006  2007 
			 Issued 3,907 2,507 2,136 
			 Breached(3, 4) 2,098 1,740 1,502 
			 (1) This includes magistrates courts when acting both in their civil capacity issuing ASBOs on application and their criminal capacity when issuing ASBOs following conviction for a criminal offence. (2 )ASBOs may be breached more than once and in more than one year. In this table ASBOs breached are counted based on the year the first breach was proven in court. Many ASBOs which are breached in a particular year will have been issued in a previous year. (3 )ASBOs can be issued in one police force area and breached in another. In this table breaches are counted on area of issue. (4 )Breach data from the magistrates court administrative systems in Kent and Northamptonshire are known to have been under-reported.  Notes:  1. Previously issued data have been revised.  2. ASBO breach data are compiled by matching records of ASBOs issued with ASBOs breached. The nature of this matching process means that previously published ASBO breach data are subject to minor revision. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Sources: (Issued): as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service Source.  (Breached): OCJR Court Proceedings Database.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Berkshire

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people under the age of 18 years were given antisocial behaviour orders in  (a) Reading, East constituency and  (b) Berkshire in each year since the inception of such orders;
	(2)  how many acceptable behaviour contracts have been agreed in  (a) Reading, East constituency and  (b) Berkshire in each year since the inception of such contracts;
	(3)  how many breaches of antisocial behaviour orders have  (a) been recorded and  (b) resulted in a criminal conviction in (i) Reading, East constituency and (ii) Berkshire in each year since the inception of such orders.

Alan Campbell: Data on antisocial behaviour contracts are collected under the survey completed by crime and disorder reduction partnerships. Data were first collected for the period October 2003 to September 2004 and the most recent are for the period from October 2007 to September 2008. The data for Reading CDRP are broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 6 
			 2004-05 21 
			 2005-06 2 
			 2006-07 4 
			 2007-08 5 
			 Total 38 
		
	
	Data broken down by constituency and county are not available. Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) became available from April 1999. Data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on numbers of ASBOs issued showing a breakdown by age group are only available for ASBOs issued from 1 June 2000. The number of ASBOs issued in each year to persons under the age of 18 at all courts in the Thames Valley Criminal Justice System (CJS) area between 1 June 2000 and 31 December 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	Data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on ASBO breaches only counts those occasions where the breach was proven in court to have occurred and are available for ASBOs issued from 1 June 2000. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in the Thames Valley CJS area subsequently proven in court to have been breached for the first time in each year during the period 1 June 200- 31 December 2007 is also shown in the table.
	It should be noted that these breached ASBOs are counted based on the year the first breach was proven in court. They include breaches by persons of all ages. Many ASBOs which are breached in a particular year will have been issued in a previous year; it is therefore not possible to compute breach rates from the figures presented this table. ASBOs may be breached more than once and in more than one year. In this table ASBOs are counted once only within the period when they were first breached.
	Data on ASBOs issued and breached collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice are not available below Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level.
	
		
			  N umber of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued to persons under 18 years of age at all courts( 1)  in the Thames Valley Criminal Justice System (CJS) area and the number proven in court to have been breached, in each year( 2) , 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2007 
			  Thames Valley  2000( 3)  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Issued (aged 10-17) - 3 2 5 21 10 3 17 
			 Breached (all ages)(4) n/a n/a n/a 6 26 32 31 22 
			 n/a = not available. (1) This includes magistrates courts when acting both in their civil capacity issuing ASBOs on application and their criminal capacity when issuing ASBOs following conviction for a criminal offence. (2) ASBOs may be breached more than once and in more than one year. In this table ASBOs breached are counted based on the year the first breach was proven in court. Many ASBOs which are breached in a particular year will have been issued in a previous year. (3) Age details of ASBO recipients available from 1 June 2000. Breach data are from 1 June 2000. (4) ASBOs can be issued in one CJS area and breached in another. In this table breaches are counted on area of issue. Breach data for 2000-02 are not available broken down by year.  Notes: 1. Previously issued data have been revised. 2. ASBO breach data are compiled by matching records of ASBOs issued with ASBOs breached. The nature of this matching process means that previously published ASBO breach data are subject to minor revision. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source (issued): As reported to the Home Office by the Court Service.  Source (breached): Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database. Prepared by Justice Statistics Analytical Services. [Ref: ASBO 57-09, PQs 297557 and 297555].

Asylum

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many files relating to applications for refugee status the UK Border Agency has lost.

Phil Woolas: By definition, the exact number cannot be known. However the total number of the Agency's case files which are not currently recorded with a clear location is less than 0.2 per cent. of the overall file holding.

Asylum

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for Section 4 support were  (a) considered and  (b) refused in each year since 2006.

Phil Woolas: Regularly published statistics on asylum show that in 2006 there were 6,025 decisions to grant support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. In 2007 there were 6,705 decisions and in 2008 there were 9,110 decisions.
	In 2006, 2,735 people were refused section 4 support. In 2007 the figure was 2,795 and in 2008 it was 1,290. These figures are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information. They are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	Statistics on section 4 support are published on a quarterly and annual basis. Control of Immigration 2008 is available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Borders: Personal Records

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions  (a) he and  (b) his officials have had with representatives of (i) airlines, (ii) ferry companies, (iii) international rail operators, (iv) leisure craft representatives and (v) other transport operators on the e-borders scheme in 2009.

Alan Johnson: Throughout 2009, the Home Secretary and the Minister for Borders and Immigration have met with representatives from Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, FlyBe, the British Air Travel Association and the Passenger Shipping Association.
	In 2009, Border Force officials have engaged with representatives from the all modes of transport mentioned (i)-(v). Officials continue to discuss the e-borders programme with individual companies as well as via the monthly Aviation Carriers Connectivity Working Group and the bi-monthly Maritime Carriers Connectivity Working Group. In addition to this, they participate in carrier forums and meet with trade bodies including the Royal Yachting Association and the British Board of General Aviation and Light Aircraft Association.

British Nationality

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account his Department takes of length of residence in the UK when determining the merits of applications for citizenship, with particular reference to periods of residence of 20 years or more.

Phil Woolas: Most of those applying for British citizenship do so through naturalisation under section of 6 of the British Nationality Act 1981. This requires a person to have been resident in the United Kingdom for a period of five years, or three years if he or she is the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen. Within that time, there are restrictions on the number of days that the applicant should have been outside the United Kingdom.
	In addition to having been here legally for the residential qualifying period, a person is also required: to be free of immigration time restrictions; to be of good character; to have sufficient knowledge of life in the United Kingdom and of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic; and (unless the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen) to intend to have their principal home in the United Kingdom if naturalised.
	There is discretion to overlook certain of the residence requirements, and in considering this UKBA would take into account the length of time a person has been the United Kingdom. Long residence would not, however, make a difference to a person's application if he or she did not meet the other statutory requirements.

British Nationality: Assessments

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time was for a person to take a British citizenship test in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The following tables show the current average waiting times for the Life in the UK Test.
	
		
			  Waiting times for Life in the UK tests 
			  Percentage 
			   2009 
			  Percentage of candidates taking the test within:  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 
			 Four weeks of booking 94.02 94.77 91.16 94.74 95.41 98.45 - - - 
			 Eight weeks of booking 99.91 99.86 98.74 99.88 99.94 97.74 - - - 
			 Average waiting time (days) 14.66 14.25 14.71 14.14 14.65 13.90 - - - 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2010 
			  Percentage of candidates taking the test within:  January  February  March  2009-10  Target 
			 Four weeks of booking - - - 94.55 80 
			 Eight weeks of booking - - - 99.29 98 
			 Average waiting time (days) - - - 14.41 n/a

British Nationality: Assessments

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people  (a) took and  (b) passed the life in the UK citizenship test in each month of 2009.

Phil Woolas: The following table breaks down the number of tests taken this year.
	
		
			  2009  Number of tests delivered  Passes 
			 January 17,187 13,038 
			 February 18,332 13,542 
			 March 22,236 16,248 
			 April 18,229 13,384 
			 May 16,341 12,267 
			 June 15,167 11,370 
			 July 15,821 11,970 
			 August 15,539 11,786 
			 September 16,305 12,202 
			  Note: October figures are not yet available.

Crime Prevention: Cars

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars in  (a) the Vale of York,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) England are fitted with a tracking device.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected by central Government.

Crime Prevention: Cars

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice is provided to people who leave their cars parked in the driveway on protecting their vehicle from theft.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office continues to provide advice to people on how to protect their cars. Advice on the Home Office website suggests fitting alarms or steering locks and, for older cars, immobilisers. It also advises against leaving items on display, and suggests ways of securing items attractive to thieves, such as car stereos and wheels.
	The website also provides advice to householders on protecting themselves from burglary, including advice on keeping car keys out of sight of doors and windows, closing and locking doors and windows, and advising on appropriate security standards to take account of when replacing windows or doors.
	The website provides a number of published crime prevention guides, including Steer Clear of Car Crime, which provides advice for people on protecting their car and its contents from theft, including specific advice on keeping car keys safe from thieves, and on how to take account of security when purchasing new or used cars. It also includes contact information for other organisations who may be able to provide more detailed or specific advice and information.
	A further publication, Be safe be secure provides advice on minimising the risks of becoming a victim of a number of different crime types, including car theft and burglary.
	The Home Office is also now preparing an updated version of the publication Keep it safe, keep it hidden, keep it locked which also provides advice to members of the public on protecting their possessions, including cars and their contents.
	The Home Office keeps the advice it provides under review to ensure that what it provides is accurate, relevant and useful. It is currently considering how best to ensure that the advice is readily available to those who are not already aware of it, or applying it.

Departmental Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his Department's staff worked  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time on asylum removals in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: Over the last five years the internal organisation of the United Kingdom Border Agency and that of its predecessor organisations changed considerably. It is not possible to distinguish the set of staff working on every aspect of 'removals' from their colleagues over the period requested except at disproportionate costs.

Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were working in the assisted voluntary return unit on 1 October 2009.

Phil Woolas: 27 full-time equivalent staff worked in the assisted voluntary return unit on 1 October 2009.

Detention Centres: Suicide

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) children and  (b) adults are recorded as having attempted suicide while held in immigration removal centres in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: We do not have a central definition of attempted suicide as it is not always clear whether an individual who seeks to harm themselves intended to kill themselves.
	We take the safety of those in our care very seriously, and operate a system called Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) to identify and help those who are at risk of suicide or self harm. Notices in various languages are displayed around Centres setting out that, where there is a concern about a fellow detainee, this should be brought to the attention of a member of staff.

Entry Clearances: Pakistan

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications submitted to the British consulate in Islamabad are outstanding; and what steps he plans to take to expedite the processing of such applications.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 October 2009
	As of 23 October, there were approximately 1,000 visa applications at the visa section in Islamabad which were awaiting initial assessment and processing before being passed to Entry Clearance Officers in the Abu Dhabi visa hub for a decision.
	The UKBA has deployed additional temporary staff to Islamabad and Abu Dhabi with the aim of clearing the backlog by mid-November.

Entry Clearances: Religious Persons

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants from each country seeking to visit the UK for the purpose of speaking in mosques have been  (a) granted and  (b) refused the right to visit the UK in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: The UK Border Agency is unable to identify from its records those visa applicants who wished to visit the UK for the specific purpose of speaking in mosques. There has been provision in the Immigration Rules since November 2008 for non-EEA nationals who wish to undertake some preaching or pastoral work in the UK to enter as business visitors. While the agency keeps a record of those applying for entry in this category, the category is open to applicants of all faiths and the agency cannot therefore identify Moslem applicants from others. The agency is also unable to identify from its records of visit visa applications prior to November 2008 those that were made for religious purposes.

Entry Clearances: Religious Persons

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many imams from each country have been  (a) granted and  (b) refused the right to work in the UK in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: While the UKBA can provide information on the numbers of non-EEA nationals who have been granted leave to enter or remain (1) prior to 27 November 2008, as a minister of religion, missionary or member or religious order; and (2) since 27 November 2008, as a minister of religion or temporary religious worker under the points based system, these immigration categories are open to applicants from all religious faiths and it is not possible to separately identify those applicants who were imams or of any other particular faith.

Fraud: Learning Disability

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps he has taken to reduce the incidence of fraud against people with learning disabilities.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The National Fraud Authority is committed in its business plan to deliver, in partnership, an improved service to the victims of fraud. This service is to be piloted in the west midlands police area from January and will place a particular emphasis on providing a tailored service to vulnerable people.
	The pilot is to be delivered in the community by specialist agencies, mainly from the third sector, and if successful rolled out to the rest of England and Wales by the end of 2010. One aim of the pilot is to stop the multiple victimisation of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Illegal Immigrants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) individuals and  (b) businesses have paid a civil penalty fine for employment of an illegal immigrant in 2009.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the numbers of civil penalties paid by individuals and businesses for offences related to illegal working under section 15 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, from 1 January to 30 September 2009. Where the individual or business in question can show that they are unable to pay their full penalty as a lump sum, arrangements for payment in instalments can be agreed with the UK Border Agency.
	
		
			  1 January-30 September 2009  Individuals  Businesses 
			 Paid in full 115 47 
			 Paid in instalments 505 67 
		
	
	These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.

Immigration

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases an application for  (a) asylum and  (b) leave to remain was initially refused and subsequently granted following the intervention of an hon. Member in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009.

Phil Woolas: The Case Information Database (CID) used by the UK Border Agency records details of applications for asylum and leave to remain, including whether or not the application has been refused or granted. It also records details of any intervention in the case by an hon. Member, but not in such a way as to allow the automatic extraction of the data requested.
	To establish this information, therefore, would require the manual examination of a large number of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on decisions on applications for an extension of leave to remain on an annual basis, and on initial decisions on applications for asylum and on appeals on a quarterly and annual basis. National Statistics on immigration and asylum are placed in the Library of the House and are available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Immigration Controls

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of sponsor licence applications have taken longer than four weeks to process in each of the last 36 months.

Alan Johnson: The start date for applications was 29 February 2008. Applications for processing were received from April 2008. The following table shows the number of sponsor licence applications that have taken longer than four weeks to process, expressed as a total and as a percentage of all sponsor licence applications processed.
	
		
			   Total of sponsor licences four weeks  Percentage of sponsor licences four weeks 
			  2008   
			 May 10 67 
			 June 40 83 
			 July 50 75 
			 August 85 76 
			 September 120 77 
			 October 500 49 
			 November 1,780 83 
			 December 1,740 59 
			
			  2009   
			 January 450 28 
			 February 350 25 
			 March 575 33 
			 April 385 44 
			 May 710 61 
			 June 655 62 
			 July 830 69 
			 August 715 67 
			 September 845 69 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Local Government Services

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on participating in the Total Place initiative with local councils.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office is committed to working with Total Place pilot areas and others to achieve the project's goal of improving public-sector efficiency. The Home Office is represented on the Total Place Ministerial Group and more broadly the Department sits on the Total Place High-Level Officials Group and the Total Place Project Board. The Home Office is actively supporting the work being taken forward through these forums.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 29 September 2009, reference: P 1185 I27 (CTS reference B27551/9).

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 November 2009
	In response to the letter of 29 September 2009, the Deputy Director for Family and Economic Migration in the London and South East Region wrote to my hon. Friend on 5 November 2009.

National Public Order Intelligence Unit

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) is based; who its director is; how many staff the NPOIU  (a) employs and  (b) seconds from other organisations; what its budget for 2009-10 is; to whom it is accountable; and what databases on prospective threats to public order the NPOIU (i) compiles and (ii) manages.

David Hanson: The National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) is based in central London and is headed by a Detective Superintendent who reports to the Association of Chief Police Officers' (ACPO) National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism, Assistant Chief Constable Anton Setchell. In turn he is responsible to the ACPO Committee for Terrorism and Allied Matters (TAM). For operational security reasons the identity of the head of NPOIU and the unit's precise location are not disclosed.
	NPOIU employs between 60 and 70 police officers and staff all of whom are seconded from local police forces. Its budget for 2009-10 was £5 million.
	The NPOIU database is a small intelligence database that is used to coordinate on a national basis intelligence that is collected by forces. The main purpose of the intelligence function is:
	to provide the police service with an ability to develop a national threat assessment and profile for domestic extremism;
	to support forces to reduce crime and disorder from domestic extremism;
	to support a proportionate police response to protest activity; and
	to help forces manage concerns of communities and businesses in order to minimise conflict and disorder.
	The police will always carefully balance these responsibilities with their duty to facilitate peaceful protest.

Sexual Offences

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of sexual offences committed by drivers of unlicensed cabs in each of the last 12 years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 3 November 2009
	The information requested is not available.

Theft: Motor Vehicles

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases there have been of thieves stealing car keys from a house then stealing the vehicle parked outside that house in  (a) the Vale of York,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Supplementary data on the taking of vehicles during burglaries, often referred to as 'car key' burglaries, have only been available centrally from 2007-08. 38 of the police forces in England were able to provide figures for 2008-09.
	The available figures for the Yorkshire and Humber region show there were 3,628 offences of burglary in a dwelling involving the taking of vehicle in 2008-09 (including Humberside).
	The available figures for forces in England reveal that there were 19,190 offences of burglary in a dwelling involving the taking of vehicle in 2008-09.
	Figures for this supplementary dataset are not collected at local authority level and therefore statistics for the Vale of York are not available centrally.

UK Border Agency: Correspondence

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Border Agency plans to respond to the letters of 29 April, 10 July and 9 September 2009 from the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham sent on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Yusef Gutale.

Phil Woolas: I am pleased to inform the hon. Gentleman that his letters of 29 April, 10 July and 9 September 2009 were replied to in a letter dated 3 November 2009.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

CAFCASS: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will estimate the percentage of time spent by Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service practitioners in direct contact with children and families in the course of their official duties in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Dawn Primarolo: CAFCASS has statutory duties to: safeguard and promote the welfare of the child involved in family court proceedings; advise courts about family proceedings applications; make provision for children to be represented in such proceedings; and provide information, advice and support for children and their families.
	CAFCASS practitioners act in a variety of ways to meet these duties depending on the kind of case and exactly what the court asks them to do. All of their roles involve some or all of: keeping a special look out for the best interests of the child; standing up for those interests; making relevant inquiries and writing a report for the court. In doing this, practitioners will spend time in direct contact with the child and their family.
	CAFCASS does not routinely collect time usage information and does not hold such an estimate.

Care Homes: Children

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether he has assessed levels of  (a) antisocial behaviour and  (b) other criminal activity by residents of privately run children's homes;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to privately run children's homes on  (a) reducing and  (b) preventing (i) antisocial behaviour and (ii) other criminal activity.

Dawn Primarolo: Children's homes are required to comply with the Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and are expected to meet the accompanying National Minimum Standards. Children's homes are required to have in place a behaviour management policy, which should set out how the home will promote acceptable behaviour. Children's homes should also promote positive links between children and the local community. Ofsted inspects children's homes against these standards.
	Before placing a child in a children's home the local authority should consider how the home will address any challenging behaviour the child may display, including antisocial or criminal activity, and should make sure that the home can meet the needs of that child. No assessment has been made of the level of antisocial or criminal activity among residents in privately run children's homes.

Children and Young Persons Act 2008

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when section 8 of the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 will be brought fully into force.

Dawn Primarolo: Section 8 of the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 amends the 1989 Children Act to substitute new provisions in relation to provision of accommodation and maintenance for children who are looked after by a local authority.
	Some provisions inserted by section 8 have already been brought in to force. section 8(3) and schedule 2 came in to force on 12 February 2009. Section 8(1), in so far as it inserts section 22C(11) and 22 (F) into the 1989 Act, and section 8(2) and schedule 1, in so far as it relates to paragraph 4 came in to force on 1 September 2009.
	Draft Care Planning Placement and Case Review Regulations (England) and related statutory guidance are due to go out to a formal 12 week consultation on 16 November 2009. It is planned that following that consultation the regulations will be made and the guidance issued to come into force in 2010 . The current intention is that the remaining provisions of section 8 will come into force later in 2010.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what arrangements are in place to  (a) monitor the use of and  (b) report on (i) accidents and (ii) security breaches in respect of ContactPoint.

Dawn Primarolo: ContactPoint is designed, built, operated and managed to HM Government standards for security and complies with the strict controls imposed by HM Government security policy. Data contained within the system are made available only to those authorised users and administrators who have been subject to vetting and have completed mandatory training.
	Every access to a child's record is detailed in the audit trail and users need to state clear reasons in order to gain access to a child's record. This is regularly reviewed at local and national level to ensure that any misuse of the system is detected and investigated. If unusual activity by users is detected, suspected or reported, the local authority or national partner ContactPoint Management Team must report the incident to the DCSF immediately, suspend the user's account, notify the user's manager and carry out an immediate investigation using local policies and procedures.
	The ContactPoint system, and access to it, is constantly monitored. The security of ContactPoint is treated as the highest priority, requiring immediate response and action by the Department, the user organisation and the system supplier. Suspicious network activity is checked and, if the system was believed to be under any form of threat, or if unauthorised access to ContactPoint was detected, the Operations Director would be notified. Depending on the severity of the breach, the service provider may be instructed to prevent access to ContactPoint for all users until the incident is resolved. The appropriate persons in the Department, including the Senior Information Risk Owner, the Permanent Secretary, the Minister and the Information Commissioner will be notified as appropriate. Access to the system would not be restored until my Department had been assured that the source of attack or unauthorised or improper access had been located and all necessary mitigating actions had been taken. In the event of a security breach, a full review would take place and prosecutions would be instigated where appropriate.

Children: Day Care

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many providers of daycare and early years foundation stage on non-domestic premises registered with Ofsted are  (a) individuals,  (b) a partnership,  (c) a company,  (d) a committee and  (e) a statutory body.

Dawn Primarolo: This is a matter for Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, will write to the hon. Member and copies of her reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated October 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	The Government introduced new arrangements for the registration of childcare providers through the Childcare Act 2006, which took effect on 1 September 2008. From that date, the term 'day care' was no longer used to describe registered childcare provision. The closest equivalent is 'childcare on non-domestic premises'. These are providers who care for individual children up to the age of eight in premises that are not someone's home. These premises can range from converted houses to purpose built nurseries.
	Table A shows figures for the number of providers who offer childcare on non-domestic premises, broken down by the type of organisation that you specify, as recorded on our database at 30 September 2009.
	
		
			  Table A: Number of childcare providers on non-domestic premises active at 30 September 2009 by organisation type 
			   Number 
			 Individual 5,774 
			 Partnership 1,981 
			 Company 8,366 
			 Committee 8,175 
			 Statutory Body 2,853 
		
	
	A copy of this reply has been sent to right hon. Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Children: Day Care

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children received free child care in  (a) Birmingham, Northfield constituency and  (b) Birmingham in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of children receiving free child care can broadly be quantified by the number in receipt of the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds, although a small number of children may also be receiving free child care through other programmes such as the new targeted two-year-old offer. This is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1,2,3)  filled by three( 4)  and four( 4) -year-olds, position in January 
			   Birmingham, Northfield constituency  Birmingham local authority 
			 2009 1,800 26,800 
			 (1)A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child.  (2)Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.  (3)In addition to free places taken up through the three and four-year-old offer, a number of children will have access to free provision through other initiatives. Most notably the two-year-olds pilot where Birmingham have been funded to provide 498 places in 2009/10.  (4)Age of all children taken at 31 December in the previous calendar year. 
		
	
	Given footnotes 1 and 3, it is likely that the figures presented in the table are a slight underestimate of the true number of children receiving any child care, but the table shows the most accurate number that can be produced from existing data sources.

Children: Protection

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding he has allocated to train those practitioners involved in safeguarding child victims of trafficking.

Diana Johnson: Government guidance, 'Safeguarding children who may have been trafficked', issued in 2007, makes clear that LSCBs should ensure that local training programmes for practitioners and other professionals cover trafficking issues as required, either as part of safeguarding training or as additional training. The budget for each LSCB and the contribution made by each member organisation is agreed locally. DCSF is investing over £130 million in supporting the children and families' social work workforce between 2008 and 2011.

Children: Social Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1504-05W, on children: social services, in which local authorities  (a) the three children who were victims of homicide and who were on the child protection register,  (b) the two children who were victims of homicide and who were previously referred to social care services prior to the incident but were not receiving services and  (c) the 10 children who were not known to children's services resided.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 26 October 2009
	This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 26 October 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Your question refers to the recently published report Learning Lessons, taking action: Year 2, which covered the period April 2008 to April 2009. Of the three children who were victims of homicide and were on the child protection register, one of these resided in Bexley and two resided in North Somerset.
	The two children who were victims of homicide and were previously referred to social care services prior to the incidents, but were not receiving services at the time of the incident, both resided in Birmingham.
	The ten children who were not known to Children's Services resided in Doncaster, Dorset, East Sussex, Hampshire (two children), Kirklees, Peterborough and Sutton (three children).
	A copy of this reply has been sent to right hon. Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the. Library of both Houses.

Children's Centres

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take to ensure all parents and children are able to access their nearest Sure Start centre.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are allocating over £1 billion a year to local authorities to support services in Sure Start Children's Centres. Our practice guidance makes it clear that parents and families should have access to the support they need irrespective of where they live. Children's centres are changing the way many parents' access essential services during their children's early years by delivering them closer to homes and in ways that suit the needs of families.
	All Sure Start Children's Centres are expected to provide outreach services to help make a real difference to families who cannot or choose not to access services, providing important information and access to services such as childcare and family support.
	In addition, we are working to improve parents' awareness of their local children's centre, including the launch in September of a national communications campaign to raise awareness of Sure Start Children's Centres among parents, with a particular focus on those living in areas of high deprivation.
	We are on track to achieve our target of at least 3,500 Sure Start Children's Centres (one for every community) by March 2010, offering access to services for all children under five and their families.

Departmental Annual Reports

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families under which budgetary heading in Table 8.4 of his Department's Annual Report 2009, pages 175-76, his Department's expenditure on  (a) the Youth of Today programme and  (b) the Travelling to School Initiative falls.

Diana Johnson: The Department's funding allocation shown aggregated in DCSF's Departmental Annual Report 2009, table 8.4, for the year 2010-11 is shown as follows:
	 (a) Youth of Today programme falls under;
	Youth Programmes-£130,000 allocated to the national youth agency and national voluntary youth agency, and
	 (b) Travelling to Schools Initiative falls under;
	Area Based Grants-£6,874,000, and
	Schools Other Miscellaneous Programmes-£300,000.

Departmental ICT

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with which organisations his Department has had exclusivity agreements in relation to information technology  (a) hardware and  (b) software in each of the last five years; and whether such agreements were breached in each of those years.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not currently have any exclusivity agreements relating to information technology for either hardware or software and has not had any such agreements in the last five years.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 13 October 2009,  Official Report, column 15WS, on official receptions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the list of the guests who attended each reception.

Diana Johnson: These events were attended by media correspondents and key Stakeholders.

Departmental Pilot Schemes

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pilot schemes his Department has commissioned in each year since 1997.

Diana Johnson: The number of pilot schemes commissioned by the Department and its predecessors in the last ten years cannot be established without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Rail Travel

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on first class train tickets for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The spend figures for the financial year 2008-9 for first class train travel are:
	 (a) For Ministers was £8,352 and
	 (b) for officials was £3,195,655.
	Excluding Ministers, there were 17,209 first class rail tickets issued to officials for business travel.
	Staffs in grades SEO and above have a formal entitlement to fist class travel. It is departmental policy that, all staff regardless of grade, should consider in advance;
	if they need to work on the train then there may be occasions when first class travel will be less busy and noisy than standard class.
	if they intend to eat a full meal on the train and claim reimbursement they should consider whether they would get a better deal by opting for a first class package which includes meal vouchers.
	if they have a disability or a temporary condition such as a broken limb then first class travel is likely to be more comfortable.
	All Members of the Department have a responsibility to make appropriate decisions on how to travel and to secure value for money in the use of travel budgets.
	Travel by Ministers and civil servants, is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively.
	The data has been provided by the department's contractor for travel booking, Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The data requested was for the Department for Children, School and Families (DCSF). DCSF was established under the machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007, therefore the response covers its predecessor the Department for Education and Skills (DFES).
	First class spend for rail travel for each of the last three years is as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2006-07 3,805,862 
			 2007-08 3,101,602 
			 2008-09 3,195,655

Dogs: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much the Government have spent on educating young people in responsible dog ownership in the last 12 months.

Diana Johnson: We do not hold information on how much the Government have spent specifically on educating young people in responsible dog ownership during the last 12 months.
	However, pupils in primary and secondary schools learn about animal welfare issues including understanding about the responsibility of humans to care for animals, through Citizenship Education.
	Guidance from QCDA on teaching Citizenship includes the units, 'How the law protects animals-a local-to global study' and 'Animals and Us'. Both of these resources support learning about animal welfare.

Education: Young Offenders

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent  (a) in total and  (b) per inmate on education for inmates of young offender institutions in 2008-09.

Vernon Coaker: The amount of funding allocated to the LSC for the financial year 2008-09, for delivery of learning through the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) to young people aged 15-17 in Prison Service Young Offender Institutions in England was £19,399,065. This does not include information about additional provision outside of the scope of LSC funded provision which is not collected centrally, neither does it include funding for young adults aged 18-20 in YOIs, as this information is not easily disaggregated.
	As at 31 March 2009, the YJB commissioned 2,543 beds across the young person's prison service YOI estate, therefore on average £7,628 was allocated per bed.

Faith Schools: Islam

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from the charity Islamic Help on the establishment of a girls' boarding school and teacher training facility in Nelson.

Diana Johnson: The Department has not received any representations from the charity Islamic Help on the establishment of a new school and teacher training facility in Nelson, Lancashire.

Family Intervention Projects

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what sanctions will apply to families which do not comply with the conditions of a family intervention project;
	(2)  how many family intervention projects his Department plans to undertake in  (a) 2009,  (b) 2010,  (c) 2011,  (d) 2012,  (e) 2013,  (f) 2014 and  (g) 2015.

Dawn Primarolo: While a family's involvement in a family intervention project is voluntary, the projects draw on and drive home the implications of sanctions that a family or family members may already be facing. These include seeking possession of a family's tenancy, a parenting order, antisocial behaviour order, proceedings to take children into care and juvenile specific orders.
	Every local authority has funding for at least one family intervention project and we plan to have 228 in place by the end of 2009. From April 2010 there is additional funding for further projects. The number of projects which will be established will depend on whether local authorities use this money to expand existing projects or set up new ones. However on 30 September 2009 the Prime Minister announced that 10,000 families would be supported by FIPs each year from 2011/12 onwards.

Home Education: Inspections

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which 15 local authorities will be contacted by Ofsted to discuss the potential inspection regime for home education.

Vernon Coaker: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 5 November 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Ofsted is not contacting local authorities to discuss a potential inspection regime for home education. However, as part of Ofsted's annual programme of survey inspections, which was agreed in 2008, we are undertaking a survey of education otherwise than at school. This survey will cover elective education at home, as well as those children that go missing from school. It will provide independent inspection evidence about the quality of provision and outcomes for this group of children and young people.
	We have identified a representative sample of 15 local authorities, based on the estimated size of the population of children educated otherwise than at school, and the location and type of the local authority, for example whether it is inner city, rural, urban, coastal or in a conurbation. Ofsted publishes the names of providers and areas visited for survey work in the final report rather than in advance of our visits, enabling us to carry out short notice visits that give us a better picture of practice on the ground. It would, therefore, be inappropriate to provide the individual local authority names at this stage.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Home Education: Special Educational Needs

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has provided to each local authority in England and Wales for children with special educational needs who are educated at home in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 5 November 2009
	The dedicated schools grant (DSG) includes funding for high cost pupils for whom the local authority is financially responsible. The DSG does not earmark funds for specific groups of pupils and it is for local authorities to deploy their resources appropriately to meet local needs. Where local authorities fund pupils with special educational needs who are home educated, they should include these pupils in their returns of alternative provision in order to secure a DSG unit of funding for them.
	We are not in a position to comment on the practice for Wales, as it is the responsibility of the National Assembly for Wales to provide this information.

Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to assess the suitability of the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation as  (a) a school provider and  (b) an organisation receiving funds from his Department.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 2 November 2009
	The Independent Schools Standards (England) Regulations 2003, as amended, require that proprietors of independent schools must have a criminal background check conducted to confirm their suitability. In common with all other independent schools the CRB check on the proprietor of the two Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation schools in Haringey and Slough has been undertaken. Beyond this the proprietor must ensure that the school meets all the requirements of the regulations including the quality of the teaching, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and the welfare, health and safety of pupils. Ofsted conducts regular inspections against these standards and any failings are taken up with the school to ensure they are put right.
	DCSF asked Ofsted to inspect both schools in 2007. Both were found to be meeting the standard on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils.
	There have been follow up inspections of both institutions since and they will continue to be subject to regular inspections.
	Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation has received funding from Haringey and Slough local authority for early years free entitlement in relation to their nursery provision. In terms of free entitlement funding the Department sets the framework for how this is distributed in the statutory code of practice. All settings must meet Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. It is for local authorities to decide whether providers meet the criteria, and are therefore suitable to receive funding for the free entitlement.

Learning and Skills Improvement Service: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department provided to the Learning and Skills Improvement Service in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion this constituted of the total budget of the Service.

Diana Johnson: The Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) was established in October 2008 and, therefore, did not receive funding prior to that. However, LSIS became operational on 1 October 2008 following the merger of the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) and the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL).
	In 2008-09 the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (then DIUS) received funding from DCSF for both those organisations mentioned above totalling £44.8 million.

National Curriculum Tests

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what impact assessment was made of proposals to change the date of standard assessment tests from May to June 2011.

Vernon Coaker: The recommendation to change the date of the key stage 2 tests was made by the Expert Group on Assessment, set up by the Secretary of State to advise on the future of testing and assessment across the key stages. The group took into account a range of stakeholder's views including schools, local authorities, academics, social partners and others. The Government accepted the group's recommendations in full in May 2009. The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) is currently consulting schools, local authorities (LAs) and other interested stakeholders on the date of the 2011 tests.

National Curriculum Tests

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what effect the change of the date of standard assessment tests from May to June 2011 will have on opportunities for learning outside the classroom in the summer term 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: We do not expect the change of timing for the National Curriculum tests to have any major effect on opportunities for learning outside the classroom in the summer term. Activities should not, and need not, be left to the summer months. For it to be truly effective, learning outside the classroom should take place on a regular basis and be informed by what teachers want learners to achieve. We know schools recognise the importance of ensuring every child has access to learning beyond the classroom as such experiences excite young people, deepen their understanding of classroom subjects, and help develop their own mechanisms for identifying and managing risk. Learning outside the classroom is vital to make young people independent, confident and self-reliant.

Ofsted: Disclosure of Information

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many calls have been received on Ofsted's whistleblower hotline since the service was established.

Dawn Primarolo: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated October 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	A total of 941 calls have been made to Ofsted's safeguarding children whistleblower hotline since its inception on 1 April 2009. Twenty two of these calls qualified under our whistleblower procedures and have been handled accordingly. In addition to the hotline, Ofsted has received 29 whistleblowing allegations by email or letter.
	A significant number of calls to the hotline were not from whistleblowers (360) but were general queries. A further 258 calls were complaints about local and childcare services, but were not from 'whistleblowers'. These were dealt with within our normal procedures.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Primary Education: Pupil Numbers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many surplus primary school places there were in each local authority area in each year since 2005.

Diana Johnson: A table showing the number of surplus primary school places by local authority area between 2005 and 2009 has been placed in the House Libraries for viewing.

Primary Education: Pupil Numbers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which local authorities his Department has directed to reduce the number of surplus primary school places in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The Department has not directed any local authority to reduce the number of surplus primary school places in any year since 2005. Local authorities are responsible for managing school places and deciding the most appropriate pattern of school provision for their area.

Schools

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether a school may receive funding from  (a) his Department and  (b) local authorities without (i) a registration number and (ii) having been inspected.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 9 November 2009
	Local authorities provide funding for maintained schools, and can also provide funding for three and four-year-olds in independent schools.
	With regard to maintained schools, a local authority should usually provide funding for a new school from 15 months before its opening, as set out in the School Finance Regulations 2008. A school is issued with a registration number by the DCSF shortly after the DCSF has been notified by the decision maker that a decision to approve the statutory proposals for a new school has been made. Therefore a new school will have a registration number before it is funded. The focus of inspection is on outcomes for pupils and the school needs to be operating before that can be assessed, therefore maintained schools do receive funding prior to being inspected.
	With regard to independent schools, before any independent school can be entered on to the independent schools register it must meet the standards set out in The Education (Independent School Standards)(England)Regulations 2003 (as amended). Prior to registration being granted the Department would commission an inspection by Ofsted who would provide a report to officials in order to ascertain how far the school goes to meet the standards required. The school would be required to rectify any regulatory failings prior to registration. Only then would an independent school be able to receive funding for three and four-year-olds.

Schools

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of progress towards his Department's targets under its policy of extended secondary and primary schools.

Dawn Primarolo: By 30 September 2009, over 19,000 maintained schools were offering access to the core offer of extended services. This represents 90 per cent. of primary schools and 90 per cent. of secondary schools. All schools should be providing access to extended services by 2010.

Schools: Discipline

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will initiate a survey of school discipline.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 9 November 2009
	We have recently received a considerable amount of information on school discipline, so do not consider a further study necessary at this time. This information includes the recent series of reports on school behaviour from Sir Alan Steer, school inspection evidence from Ofsted and a range of surveys conducted by our partners, including teacher professional associations and the National Audit Office. In 2007/08, Ofsted judged that behaviour in 93 per cent. of primary and 72 per cent. of secondary schools was good or outstanding. On 30 September 2009 the Government launched a new Behaviour Challenge to local authorities and schools, making clear our ambition that by 2012 all schools will either have a good or outstanding Ofsted rating on behaviour, or be on track to reach one at their next inspection. The Behaviour Challenge will ensure delivery of the guarantee we made in the White Paper on 21st Century Schools earlier this year that all schools will have good behaviour, strong discipline, order and safety.

Schools: Finance

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department plans to spend on schools in each of the next five years.

Vernon Coaker: In November 2007, the Government announced the indicative budgets for the dedicated schools grant from 2008 to 2011. The indicative dedicated schools grant for 2010-11 for England is £30,959 million. The overall school revenue funding will be approximately £42.1 billion in 2010-11. We cannot confirm what the education funding settlement will be from 2011-12 onwards in advance of the next Spending Review.

Schools: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which maintained  (a) primary,  (b) secondary and  (c) special schools Ofsted classified in each local authority as (i) outstanding and (ii) in special measures on the latest date for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.

Schools: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been given notices to improve by Ofsted since 1 September 2009.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 9 November 2009
	Ofsted publish these data on a termly basis and this information will not be available until January 2010.

Schools; Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, columns 1938-9, on schools: finance, which individual programmes and corresponding allocations are aggregated as  (a) children in care proposals and  (b) teenage pregnancy grant.

Diana Johnson: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The individual Programmes included under the heading Children in Care Proposals in the DCSF's Departmental Annual Report 2009, table 8.4, are provided in the following list:
	Fostering Change
	Recruit foster carers from a diverse range of backgrounds
	Choice Protects Topslive - fosterline contract
	In the child's trust fund, £100 per year for every child who spends the year in care.
	Independent visitors
	Social work practices
	Multi Systemic Therapy
	Family Drug and Alcohol Courts
	Virtual Head teacher and the Private Tutoring Pilots
	Social Pedagogy in residential care
	MTFC - Multi dimension Treatment Foster Care
	Right2B Cared4
	Staying with foster carers until 21
	Promote the use of Family Group Conferencing through a programme of national events and training
	Develop a training resource for practitioners drawing on the conclusions of research on the identification of neglect
	To update the guidance on Promoting the Health of looked after children, clarifying the functions and responsibilities of those involved in ensuring that children in care receive the health services they need
	National Centre for Excellence in Residential Children's Care (NCERCC) (originally from CP Topslice)
	IRO Training and support
	NMS-Non Maintained Specialist Schools
	Children Act Guidance
	Training for practitioners/governors
	Funding allocations are yet to be finalised for the programmes.
	 (b) The £2.0 million that is shown on table 8.4 under the heading Teenage Pregnancy Grant forms part of a larger amount of funding that is allocated through Area Based Grants (ABG), which amount to £27.5 million as a Department. This level of funding has been announced to local authorities (LA's) through the ABG mechanism.
	In addition to this we have a further teenage pregnancy budget within the Department totalling £5.85 million, which funds the TPG media campaign and secondment costs of Regional Teenage Pregnancy Coordinators.

Sure Start Programme

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effects of Sure Start children's centres on low income families.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Evaluation of Sure Start report The Impact of Sure Start Local Programmes on Three Year Olds and Their Families', was published in March 2008. This report found a number of positive impacts for children in Sure Start Local Programme (SSLP) areas. Parents of three-year-old children showed less negative parenting while providing their children with a better home learning environment. Three-year-old children areas had better social development with higher levels of positive social behaviour and independence/self-regulation than children in similar areas not having a SSLP. Families living in SSLP areas used more child- and family-related services than those living elsewhere. The effects associated with SSLPs appeared to apply to all of the resident population sub groups assessed, including those on low incomes.
	In February 2009, DCSF published the 'Sure Start Children's Centres Survey of Parents' research by TNS. This found very high levels of satisfaction with children's centres by users of centres. It also found that those using centres closely matched the local community.
	The report also commented that
	there is no evidence that any sub-groups within the community are monopolising the centres. Equally, the results suggest that no sub-groups are being excluded from or failing to access the centres.
	Further evaluation of the impact of children's centres will be published in due course.

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teacher training entrants did not gain qualified teacher status within 12 months of beginning initial teacher training in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The number and percentage of final year initial teacher trainees who gained qualified teacher status (QTS) are given in the following tables. This information is available from 1998/99 onwards for college-based courses and 2001/02 for employment-based routes (EBR) and relates to initial teacher training (ITT) courses of all lengths-not just one year.
	For academic year 2008/09, 92 per cent. of postgraduate entrants and 91 per cent. of employment based entrants were on courses intended to be for one year, but only 1 per cent. of entrants to undergraduate courses were on courses intended to last one year.
	Information in the requested format could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Initial teacher trainees: final year trainees gaining QTS via college based courses, years: 1998/99 to 2007/08, coverage: England 
			   ITT route 
			   Postgraduate  Undergraduate 
			Trainees gaining QTS   Trainees gaining QTS 
			   Number of final year trainees  Number  Percentage  Number of final year trainees  Number  Percentage 
			 1998/99 17,430 15,160 87.0 9,770 8,910 91.2 
			 1999/2000 17,170 14,850 86.5 7,490 6,850 91.5 
			 2000/01 18,680 16,150 86.5 7,040 6,490 92.1 
			 2001/02 19,480 16,940 87.0 6,870 6,340 92.2 
			 2002/03 21,590 19,180 88.8 6,980 6,250 89.5 
			 2003/04 24,590 21,460 87.3 6,380 5,880 92.1 
			 2004/05 25,200 21,780 86.4 6,160 5,360 87.1 
			 2005/06 25,100 21,600 86.0 6,120 5,410 88.4 
			 2006/07 24,660 21,080 85.5 6,690 5,900 88.2 
			 2007/08 23,420 20,260 86.5 7,040 6,210 88.2 
			  Notes:  1. Includes trainees from universities and other higher education institutions, school centred initial teacher training and Open universities but excludes employment based routes (EBR).  2. Those who have gained QTS does not include final year trainees who are: 'known not to have completed the course'; have 'undefined outcome'; are yet to complete their course; those with withheld QTS (including those where their skills test were not met, their standards were not met and where both their standards and skills test were not met) and those where the skills test has not been taken (including those whose standards were met and those whose standards were not met).  3. Numbers are individually rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  TDA's Performance Profiles 
		
	
	
		
			  Initial teacher trainees: final year trainees gaining QTS via employment based routes, years: 2001/02 to 2007/08, coverage: England 
			   ITT route: 
			   Employee based routes 
			Trainees gaining QTS 
			   Number of final year trainees gain  Number  Percentage 
			 2001/02 2,440 2,210 90.7 
			 2002/03 4,030 3,670 91.1 
			 2003/04 4,950 4,470 90.4 
			 2004/05 7,220 6,600 91.5 
			 2005/06 6,970 6,090 87.5 
			 2006/07 7,840 7,120 90.8 
			 2007/08 6,990 6,510 93.1 
			  Notes:  1. Those who have gained QTS does not include final year trainees who are: 'known not to have completed the course'; have 'undefined outcome'; are yet to complete their course; those with withheld QTS (including those where their skills test were not met, their standards were not met and where both their standards and skills test were not met) and those where the skills test has not been taken (including those whose standards were met and those whose standards were not met).  2. Numbers are individually rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  TDA 's Performance Profiles

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps  (a) his Department and  (b) the Training and Development Agency for Schools has taken to encourage applications from new high-quality teacher training providers.

Vernon Coaker: Neither the Department nor the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is actively seeking to accredit any new providers of initial teacher training (ITT) as there is a sufficiently good quality regional spread of provision to meet the demand for training and to deliver the ITT recruitment targets which are determined by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
	If an organisation or consortia approaches the TDA expressing interest in becoming an accredited ITT provider, the TDA considers the organisation's proposed training, location, and its experience in training or education. If the proposed training demonstrates the potential to add value to existing ITT provision, the TDA will work with the organisation to broker a partnership with an existing ITT provider. This enables the Agency to ensure that new providers are not lost to the overall ITT market and allows new providers to enter the ITT market, without flooding it by working in partnership with an experienced ITT provider.

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps  (a) his Department and  (b) the Training and Development Agency for Schools takes when Ofsted grades an initial teacher training provider at C or below.

Vernon Coaker: The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is given the power by statute to accredit initial teacher training (ITT) providers, and in doing so it is required to have regard to the quality of providers' courses when allocating training places and funding.
	Providers inspected up to July 2008 were graded according to Management and Quality Assurance, Training and Standards. These grades are then translated into TDA Quality Categories A, B and C using agreed calculations on the permutations of grades. A Grade 3 automatically results in Quality Category C designation. Ofsted grades Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers on the following scale: Grade 1: Outstanding; Grade 2: Good; Grade 3: Satisfactory; and Grade 4: Inadequate.
	When initial teacher training providers are placed in quality category C, they are treated less favourably for allocation purposes than training providers placed in quality categories A or B: they are not allowed to bid for additional training places and when cuts are required in the total number of training places to be allocated to all training providers, allocations to quality category C providers are reduced first.
	There are currently 15 category C providers from a total of 233 ITT providers.
	When a provider is categorised as a C provider the Agency:
	(i) Requires the provider to submit an Improvement Plan indicating actions to be taken to remedy any issues raised by Ofsted, and to indicate how it proposes to improve quality. A written evaluation of the plan is sent to the provider.
	(ii) The provider is given documentation on how to construct effective Improvement Plans-this has been preceded by consultancy support on Self-Evaluation and Improvement Planning, and a series of workshops on the topic.
	(iii) The provider is visited by the Head of Quality and Inspection at the TDA and/or one of the consultants who work in the team. The Improvement Plan is reviewed, and recommendations given for refinement and clarity, with an emphasis on securing best outcomes and impact.
	(iv) The provider submits an update on activity and achievements against the Improvement Plan each term.
	(v) The provider receives consultancy support to secure improvements to provision, and is monitored through visits by the Quality and Inspection Team.
	(vi) The provider's annual Self-Evaluation Document is reviewed in detail, and written feedback given to the provider, with tailored support and/or intervention as appropriate. This may involve the provider receiving guidance from a high quality ITT provider, a consultant or a subject/phase specialist.
	(vii) The provider automatically receives a full tariff inspection at the start of the subsequent inspection cycle.
	(viii) The TDA has a limited number of training places to allocate across the sector. As required, places are allocated on a quality basis. Therefore, where cuts are required, category C providers are first in line for reduced numbers. Decisions taken on reducing places are related to the phase and/or subjects offered. These places however, can be reinstated if the quality of provision improves.
	(ix) Where, exceptionally, a provider has received a Grade 3 in two inspections, senior representatives from the provider have met with the TDA's Head of Quality and Inspection. The provider is required to produce an Improvement Plan, and is still monitored. However, funding for support activity is curtailed. These providers have also been informed that they have a limited time to secure improvement, before the next inspection as further cuts will be initiated. Given the provider's track record, the TDA would review (taking regional and other factors into account) whether to continue allocating places to any provider which fails to achieve improvement.

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teacher training providers have had their number of places reduced for  (a) five or more successive years,  (b) the last four years,  (c) the last three years and  (d) the last two years.

Vernon Coaker: The number of initial teacher training (ITT) providers allocated fewer places by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) for more than one consecutive year in the period ending 2009/10 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  ITT providers: consecutive years' decrease in allocated places to 2009/10, 2005/06 to 2009/10, coverage: England 
			  Numbers of years of consecutive falls in places allocated  Accredited ITT providers (number) 
			 5 years 7 
			 Last 4 years 34 
			 Last 3 years 59 
			 Last 2 years 77 
			  Note:  The figures are cumulative, so for example, the 77 providers with falls for the last two years, includes the 59 providers with falls for the last three years.  Source:  TDAs Trainee Numbers Census

Vetting and Barring Scheme Review

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects Sir Roger Singleton to publish his review of the vetting and barring scheme.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 28 October 2009,  Official Report, column 395W.